Death's Door
by EricIzMine
Summary: EPOV 'What if' AU... Amnesiac Eric definitely needed someone to watch over him, but what if Bill Compton hadn't darkened the Stackhouse's doorstep? After months under the Witch's thumb, what sort of fallout would Shreveport be facing? Death's Door is part of the MultiVerse. Bored To Death and Meanwhile are prerequisite.
1. Chapter 1

**Death's Door**

**A Bored To Death Outtake**

The emptiness of my house was irritating to say the least. The frequency of our little 'skips', as Adele had grown fond of calling them, was daunting… no less than one each month. They never interfered with the nights and days of our actual lives, but they were definitely a test of our patience.

I was sure, since it had happened before, that another version of me would be waking to find Sookie in his bed with him. He'd be enjoying the way she'd chosen to greet me when I woke, basking in the sunlight she'd promised to bring to bed with her.

The more I thought about it, the more I pondered the idea of letting our bond wane slightly so that our side trips wouldn't happen as frequently.

As it was, I found myself driving out to Bon Temps alone to try and reunite with my Sookie, not knowing what I'd find… Taking my Escalade because my Corvette hadn't been in the garage and wondering as much about the layer of dust on it as I did about why the engine didn't want to turn over.

At first glance, I didn't find much of anything. Sookie's rust-eaten hatchback was waiting at the end of a heavily pitted driveway in front of a more ramshackle version of her family home than I'd seen yet.

I knocked first, not wanting to be shot by yet another version of Sookie, but there was no answer.

With no other clues, I tried the knob to find it locked… then around to the porch to find the door standing open.

I called out to Sookie, again with no answer, but I did hear a slight bump come from the back of the house.

I knew better than to think my Sookie would be who I'd find. The combination of a car she hadn't driven in months and a property that hadn't had any maintenance done, guaranteed it.

What I did find was a Merlotte's apron on the kitchen counter next to a purse and a stack of mail. Her wallet was empty except for some change, but her apron had a wad of singles in it… the stack of mail was nothing but 'final' notices for that house and an equally disturbing pair of foreclosure letters from the bank; the family home and Jason's house. The sink was stacked with days of dishes. The garbage was overflowing the bin… more confusing still was a vest with a service station logo on the back… _a second job?_

Something had gone terribly wrong in this version.

I made my way through the house carefully, still quite literally 'gun shy', as I looked for signs of life…

Sookie was crumpled in a heap next to the toilet in the filthy hall bathroom. Barely breathing and so hot I could feel her fever radiating from her before I knelt to check her health.

Her skin seared to the touch and there didn't seem to be any way to revive her.

I looked for her cell phone since I hadn't found it in her purse while looking for clues, but it wasn't in her pockets either… I set Sookie in the tub while it filled with cold water. I had to leave her long enough to find the cordless phone to call Pam since my cell _conveniently_ had no service.

"Hello?"

"How is your evening going?"

"Oh my God! Eric?"

"Tell me that I'm remembering correctly… Cold baths help bring down fevers."

"Where have you been?" I didn't have the patience to think about why she'd have asked.

"Fevers, Pam. Focus."

She snapped, "Antibiotics work better. Who's sick?"

"Sookie. I found her alone and unconscious."

"What's a Sookie?" Shit.

"Nevermind that. I'm in Bon Temps. 200 Hummingbird Lane."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

I had to sit on the floor so that I could hold her knees down, keeping her legs straight to keep her from sliding underwater… Without any hints that she might be coming around, I thought I'd try to learn something about that Sookie.

Jason's number was disconnected.

Alcide's number was disconnected...

That left only Sam…

"Merlotte's. Terry speaking. How can I help you tonight?"

"Is Sam there?"

"Naw, sir. Out sick."

"Lafayette?"

"Sorry to say, Lafayette's been gone a few months now."

"Arlene?" I should have crossed my fingers. I was running out of Sookie's friends to ask for.

"Hell mister, I'da asked for Sookie first."

"Is she there?"

"No. She got off work earlier, but I'da still asked for her first. Lemme getcha Arlene."

I watched Sookie's teeth start to chatter while I waited for Arlene to come to the phone.

"You got Arlene." Had I been in a better mood, I might've asked if there was a cure, or if having a case of Arlene was terminal.

"Hello. This is Eric. I'm a friend of Sookie's. Did you see her today?"

"Just for a sec. I was coming. She was going. Is she feeling better?"

"Worse actually. I found her with a high fever. Is there any way you can think of for me to get in touch with Jason? I think she should go to a hospital."

"I told her that too, but she said she can't afford it… If you're a friend of Sookie's then how come you're asking after Jason?"

An off the cuff lie… "I haven't been back in the country for long."

"Oh… he's in jail. Went up the river for killing fangbangers, if you can believe that. Only people that think he done it are a couple of cops and the 12 idiots who sat on the jury." Fanfuckingtastic.

"What about her Vampire friend?"

"That's news to me." No Bill?

"And Adele?"

"Poor lady didn't make it through the trial… Look, if you want, I can send my husband out to take her to the hospital."

"I thought you were single."

"I'm off the market. Me and Rene been married a couple of months now." Even better.

"I'll take care of her. Did she get the same illness as Sam? Terry mentioned he was out sick too."

"I don't think so. He just calls it in once in a while. He seemed fine last night when I saw him. Sookie's been dragging since I worked with her yesterday."

"Thank you. I'll have her call you when she's up to talking."

"You do that."

Fuck.

Dead Adele, imprisoned Jason, free Rene, missing Lafayette, no Bill to blame anything for, and when I looked through the window, I saw the reason for Sam's 'illness' too clearly. Full moon.

Sookie could've contracted her mystery illness from any one of the customers at her mundane jobs.

I was left with nothing for too long… until I heard shuffling in the yard.

_Maybe there was a Bill to blame things for after all._

I took Sookie out of the water as quickly as I could and put her on the bed, not caring about soaking her linens as much as finding who was lurking in her yard.

I was aware that I could find nothing more than a deer or the damned raccoons that were 'close enough to cats' for Bubba… but when I reached the front porch, I saw headlights bouncing up the driveway fast enough to cause damage to the car.

Before I could react to Pam's crazed arrival, I was being wrung and wept on. _What the fuck?_

"Pam? You're being ridiculous."

"RIDICULOUS!? You've been missing for 2 months and 24 days! I've searched the area for you only to find your scent and nothing else… but I can still feel you… why haven't you contacted me?"

"What?" I couldn't think of anything else to say. I'd been _missing_ for nearly 3 months? Well, a version of me…

"What do you mean, 'what'? I know you're my maker and all, but you have some explaining to do! You've been here? All this time? Why? Why haven't you called? You… _THIS is where you've been staying?_"

"No. I think we both have some explaining to do."

"We both…? Eric… _do you have any idea what life has been like since you left_? I've been in hiding. Hallow's taken over everything. She even ended your replacement… Everything's gone to shit and the only reason I stayed was because I could still feel you."

"Hallow? The Witch? Why was I replaced? With whom? Why didn't you take my place?" That trifling cretin hadn't gotten far with her bullshit threats once Paulette and Porter were set loose on her… She learned too quickly to do more research. Vampires plus a Telepath plus two Witches that were stronger than a whole coven equaled a colossal failure for the conniving, blackmailing Witch. Her delusions of grandeur hadn't gotten her out of the state alive.

"I thought she'd killed you! It turns out you were _**hiding**_…"

"I don't hide. You fucking know better than that."

"Whatever. You were gone. Flood and most of his pack were slaughtered one by one. When I told the Queen I was only interested in finding you so that you could resume your duties, she sent that retard Compton to stand in. His car was found in the Fangtasia parking lot with his luggage still in it. He hadn't lasted the night. I had to kill Bobby so that they couldn't get to him. Hallow cut Area Five's numbers in half."

"Area 5 has been seized by a Witch?"

"A _Were_-Witch. A Were-Witch who is abducting Vampires and using their blood as fuel... Where have you been!?"

"I've been splitting my time between Shreveport and Bon Temps when I'm not traveling with Sookie."

"Traveling with Sookie!? The reason you finally called me! You've been on _**holiday**_…!"

"Calm yourself. Do you want an explanation or do you want to piss me off?"

"Explain!"

"I'm not who you're looking for. I'm sure once Sookie is healthy again, she can help, but… you're still looking for your Eric… we need to check on Sookie to see if the bath helped to bring down her fever."

"Why the fuck do I care about the health of some human!?"

"Because that human could help you take care of your Witch problem, but you're going to have to be nice."

"How nice?"

"As though you're vying for Christmas goodies."

When I entered the house, Pam scoffed from the door frame. "I can't get in. You're going to have to have _Sookie_ invite me."

"She can't. She's unconscious."

"Then explain out here."

"I need to… Pam, just go around to the side of the house. I'll open the fucking window so you can harass me that way."

"You're going to leave me standing in the yard so that you can tend to a human!? You're right about one thing… You're not the Eric I know!"

She was a spoiled fucking brat no matter what parallel I'd come across… And I couldn't wait to laugh about it when it was all over with Adele.

Sookie's fever _had_ come down slightly. She still wasn't conscious, but I did my best to tend to her. I changed the bedding and put Sookie into dry pajamas.

While I worked, I explained the annoying phenomenon that my Sookie and I had been dealing with since August…

Pam, of course, interrupted every few seconds to turn what could've been a 10 minute talk into an hour long attack on my sanity.

When I was done explaining and she was done blasting me with insults, all she had left was staring.

Since Sookie was resting, I joined Pam again on the porch and tried to guess as to why I'd been able to enter the house when she couldn't.

I couldn't describe how happy I was to see the checkered taxi's sudden appearance in the driveway if I had to.

Sookie, _**My Sookie,**_ was holding her sapphire up to the window proudly and only let herself smile when I showed my ring in turn. Seeing a 'wedding band' on my hand made Pam's eyes bulge enough that I laughed.

She was giggling when she slid out of the car and came directly over to wrap her arms around me. "I don't even care that the house seems like you broke up with me and didn't tell me. I hate waking up when you're gone."

"You didn't wake with Alcide again?"

She laughed. "You're still too bitter about that!"

"He got my wake up."

She hummed into my chest. "_Oh, no he didn't_. His little head would've exploded."

"Do I want to know where you woke?"

"The patio. I put my clothes back on because it was getting chilly, even in the sun, but I fell asleep reading… I'd run to the store so my wallet was in my pocket this time. Good thing too since I'd have had to break in to get to the safe. You don't want to know how much a Shreveport to Bon Temps cab costs."

"I couldn't care less... You're not allowed to nap anymore. I'm getting annoyed with this shit."

"Amen… So what are we dealing with?"

"I just finished explaining to Pam how it is that I'm not who she's looking for. It seems that the me she knows has been missing for nearly 3 months."

"_Nooooo_."

I nodded. "Hallow has taken over my area."

"How did she manage? We trumped her hand after that first meeting."

"Since Pam has no idea who you are, you made the difference somehow. You were there when she came to me with her little proposal and we made our arrangements before she had the chance to be a threat."

She turned to Pam, never taking her arms away from me. "But you can still feel your Eric though, right? I mean… he's alive?"

Pam rolled her eyes, but opted to humor Sookie. "Yes… he says he's not 'my Eric', but I haven't felt him so strongly in all the time I've been searching for him."

"If he were just laying low, he'd have contacted you to tell you though…"

"I'd like to think he'd contact me rather than leaving me completely out of the loop while he shacks up with the livestock. Who the fuck are you!? Eric, seriously! Why are you just standing there cuddling with some stupid little…"

I growled, "Pam. Stop talking."

She seethed, glowering at me for a moment before she erupted, finally taking notice of Sookie's scent. "You're bonded!? To a HUMAN!? I've been forced into one of the safehouses while you…"

"Pam, I've been trying to tell you that I saw you just yesterday. You and Bubba went to the movies with…"

"Bubba is gone! Hallow ended him too!"

Sookie released her hold on me to step back. "Oh. Hell. NO! What could he have done!?"

Pam hissed, "Keep your mouth shut unless you're spoken to, human."

Sookie was giggling and only irritating Pam more when she suddenly stopped. Her eyes darted around curiously before she whispered, "We have company."

"Human?"

She shook her head slowly. "Eric, if I didn't know any better, I'd swear it's you." _Lovely_… I'd been starting to think that the other me wasn't going to make an appearance.

"Me?"

"Everything about it… Eric, I swear, it's you…"

"But Pam has no idea who you are. Why would 'I' be here and not have told Pam?"

Sookie took a step away from Pam. "Maybe we're making a mistake by assuming this Pam can be trusted."

I wanted to argue, but there wasn't any way to dispute it since Pam's alarmed demeanor could've been an act… Pam was capable of being cutthroat and devious. I'd never had a reason to be concerned… I'd been fucking proud of it, but without the bond to give me any hints, there wasn't a way to be sure enough to defend her.

…Not that she'd given me the time. She advanced on Sookie, fangs drawn and hissing nastily. "The same could be said for me. Why would I automatically trust an Eric who'd be so _smitten_ with a human?"

Sookie didn't flinch in the slightest. "Gee, I don't know… Why else would your Eric be close enough for both of us to feel him and not come forward, _PAM_? Why would he be close enough to hear us and think twice about coming forward? I can't think of any reason he'd be concerned about ME since I'm just _livestock_."

"I don't know! Hallow made him disappear. Then she thought she'd toy with me… threatened to end another Vampire every night until I turned Eric over. Like I'd turn him over anyway, but I've been looking for him ever since… for me! Whatever she did made him vanish and I'm worried that killing the Witch would do something to him! I don't know what to do!"

My Sookie rolled her eyes. "You could start by acting like a damn Vampire instead of a lost toddler."

Pam hadn't gotten the pleasure of scaring Sookie, only making her angrier. "I've had enough of you! You might be living it up in White-Trash-Barbie's Dream House with your fanged Ken doll, but that isn't what I've been dealing with! You don't have any way to understand what it's like to lose a maker… I've done everything I could think of to make sure that I'm not crazy, that I'm not sensing him because I miss him. I've felt drawn to this backwater shithole for 83 nights and every search turned up nothing."

Sookie wedged her arms between the two of them and shoved Pam back hard enough that she landed on her ass in the yard, and then laughed at the shocked expression left on Pam's face. "I get it! You're stressed out. We'll figure things out faster if you stop being a baby… and stop looking at me like that. I'm bonded to Eric for god sakes. I'm stronger than I look." Sookie smoothed her hair as she stepped from the porch and around to the corner of the house to call out, "Eric! I know you're out there. Come on out. We need to figure out what's going on…"

Nothing… it was still too cool for even the crickets to respond.

"_Please_… Eric, I can tell you're just as confused as we are. We all want answers. If we put our heads together, we might be able to get somewhere… I know you've been listening… Eric?"

I was ready to tell her to give up. If 'I'd' been hiding from Pam, I certainly wasn't going to be talked out of the woods so easily…

That's what I thought until I heard my own voice in the yard. "How is it that you can sense me?"

Sookie's eyes darted back and forth, searching the tree line. "I'm a Telepath. I can't hear your thoughts, but I can sense that you're there."

"And the other one? _Pam_?" He sounded unsure of the way Pam's name sounded.

"She's your child… Eric, you made her. She's a pain in your ass, but you've been together for over 300 years."

"My child?"

"Eric…"

He corrected, "Jan." _What the fuck?_

"_Jan?"_

I watched her eyes lock on to something finally as she waited for his reply. He finally came into my line of sight, stopping several feet away from Sookie with his hands buried in the pockets of baggy sweatpants. His clothing was appalling, but the bigger problem was that he was ashen and withered... The effects of a poor diet. "I have no memory. Adele started calling me Jan Doe."

Sookie smiled at him, less confused about his memory than Pam or I. "That sounds like Gran alright… If you don't have any memory, how did you end up out here?"

"I don't know. My first memory is running along the road on January 1st. I found the cemetery and went to ground that morning, but Adele found the disturbed earth when she was tending to her husband's grave… she was waiting for me at sunset the next evening." _**That**_ sounded exactly like something Adele would do too… _'finding' a stray Vampire and taking him in. _

"Ok… so where's Gran?"

"With her husband. She had a heart attack about a month ago while you were at work."

"What's wrong with me? I mean the other me."

"I couldn't guess. I've never spoken to you, _**her**_. Adele was worried about your reaction."

"How have you been managing? Feeding? Bathing?"

"I've been staying in the vacant house on the other side of the cemetery… bathing here while you, _**she's**_ at work since the other house's utilities are off… I've been taking True Blood. Adele was buying it, but once she died, I started glamouring Sookie to leave a few bottles at a time in the cemetery out of desperation." So he thought.

"Why were you here tonight?"

"I was bathing when she returned unexpectedly. She's been ill and left work early."

"She fainted when she saw you in the house?"

"No. When I heard her come in, I went to the empty bedroom and waited for my chance to leave. I heard her collapse, but when _he_ came in, I went out through the window."

"So you've just been hanging out in Bon Temps, waiting for your memory to come back? Why not try to contact other Vampires to see if they know you?"

"I would have, but when I rose to meet Adele, she showed me a flyer that she'd seen at the grocery store… Someone was looking for me. She put two and two together… the flyer and the loose dirt… She went to the trouble of calling the phone number on the flyer. She said that the woman who answered was 'acting shady' so she reported that she'd seen me check into a light tight room at a motel and subsequently watched the room be stormed like an ambush. With no memory, I didn't know who I could trust other than Adele."

"Well… You could've trusted Sookie. She hasn't reported you."

"I told you, I've been staying clear of her. I've been glamouring her…"

"Gran told you I can read minds though."

"Yes. We kept each other company while Sookie was at work."

"She can sense you like I can. She knows you've been around, but… I can't be glamoured and… when Gran died, the house became hers… She had to have invited you in because Gran's invite wouldn't have been good anymore."

Since the news surprised and confused him, Sookie took a step towards him with her hand out, pulling his wrist out of his pocket and leading him to the porch. She invited Pam to enter and then wandered to the bedroom... I chose to avoid the awkward silence between 'Jan' and Pam by following Sookie, but Jan decided to do the same.

Sookie went directly to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and came back with a thermometer and a bottle of pills. She had me crush a couple of tablets while she took the invalid's temperature…

Sookie rolled her eyes at the result… "A hundred two? Wussy! Wake up. _We've had higher fevers than this_." She put her knee to the side of the bed to nudge it before sitting down and trying to give small amounts of the powdered tablets to the ill Sookie.

"Is she dreaming, Sookie? Is there any consciousness?"

She nodded as she dabbed away an unswallowed dribble of water. "She's dreaming about Gran. It's more of a nightmare really. Kind of revisiting the funeral… So, Jan, any ideas on how to get in touch with Jason? Did he move? This has happened before where he lived in California."

"He's in St. Francisville."

She smiled. "Yeah? He settle down there for work or because of a girl?"

"Two girls… He's at Angola for killing a pair of fangbangers…"

"You're shitting me!"

Since I'd never gotten a grasp on that particular saying either, the puzzled look on his face wasn't any kind of shock. I tried to relieve him of asking. "Arlene told me the same thing. The stress of the trial is ultimately what did Adele in… I called his number first to try to understand the situation… Jason and Alcide are both disconnected. Sam's out chasing the mailman. Lafayette is 'gone' according to Terry. That could mean he quit or that he moved…"

Jan interrupted. "Lafayette died. He was left in the back of a detective's car. The murder is 'unsolved' and Bellefleur is assumed the culprit… Who is this Alcide?"

"Her guard. A Were with the Shreveport pack. Pam mentioned that the pack had been thinned out. He could be dead too for all we know… What about Hadley? Has she been in contact since the trial?"

"Hadley?"

"Sookie's cousin. She became the Queen's child."

"There's a Hadley interred in the cemetery. She's next to 'Linda'. Her death date is more than 5 years ago though."

Sookie shot a look in my direction. "No Hadley."

I nodded. "So… no whining to the Queen about being homesick…"

Sookie finished, "So no Bill Compton being sent to 'discover' me… there's where the paths diverge. More than 5 years, means she didn't go to rehab when Gran sent her so she died of an OD or something."

"No Hunter either then." I could've laughed thinking about how annoyed he'd be to hear it.

When 'Jan' asked who Hunter was, Sookie explained that if Hadley died 5 years ago, then she didn't live long enough to have her 4 year old, but Sookie explained the _long_ way giving more details, including that Hunter lived with us…

That lured Pam from the front of the house. "You? You're raising a child? _**You?**_"

"You've taken him to the movies twice this week and had a fucking 'pajama party' with Jason and Bubba last week."

"I would NOT!"

"You bought flannel pajamas with little dinosaurs on them for the occasion."

"You can't be serious!"

"You told Sookie that you were going to steal him."

"A _CHILD_!? You've gone mad!"

"No. In my reality, Sookie proved her worth and befriended you very easily. You're eager for Hunter to grow up so that you can call her your sister when I turn her."

"NO!"

"Seriously, Pam. Sookie got my attention the moment you brought her to my office. None of it matters though. It has nothing to do with you or your predicament…" I turned to Sookie. "Ideas?"

She shrugged. "Paulette for starters… But I think that we should take a little trip to Fangtasia."

Pam blurted, "To see the bitch that caused all of this!?"

Sookie fired back. "SHE'S. A. WERE! Get your shit together! Her and her brother will be out on a run and her little minions won't be able to cloud their thoughts from me. Eric and I can talk to them and I can walk right into that office and get her spell book so that we can UNFUCK YOUR ERIC!"

"Or get **your** boyfriend just as fucked as **my** maker. Brilliant!"

Sookie rolled her eyes and pounded her head into the wall behind her. "GAWD! What I'd give for a fist full of push pins right now! You…" Sookie stopped talking when her sick self began to stir.

We all watched her as she noticed me, then 'Jan' and Pam… finally seeing My Sookie sitting on the other side of the bed. She groaned, "Well this is weird."

My Sookie smiled at her. "We can explain."

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Ok… start with how I'm in PJs in bed then we'll get to how there's two Erics."

All four of us had to pick our jaws up from the floor to start explaining…

It had been nearly 10 o'clock when Sookie came out of her fever enough to talk to anyone, but that time, that situation, that Sookie didn't need nearly as much explaining as the others had…

My Sookie didn't go into as much detail as usual because she was anxious to hear the other side of things, which was another first… She'd always been less interested in the lives of other versions of herself than she was in literary characters… The only notice she gave to any of the various versions of us was to me. She cared less for other Sookies than she did about what she was wearing. My welfare was her only concern.

Over the 'skips' we'd made, there had only been three constants. The first was that as soon as I rose, whether it was in bed with My Sookie, another Sookie, or alone, there was an instant feeling that something wasn't right. That reality was askew… A niggling feeling that I was grateful for since Sophie-Ann hadn't had been so fortunate as to get the hint…

Another constant, the only time I didn't feel all but pulled to Bon Temps was when that's where I rose and she experienced the same. Adele teased me by repeating 'home is where the heart is' every time we explained another experience. I never argued with her… My goal was always reuniting with Sookie… That was the third constant.

My Sookie stared at herself, urging her explanation. "So… why is it that this me, isn't at all freaking out… I usually do."

The sickly Sookie tipped her head to the side. "You came to Merlotte's because you couldn't find Eric… beginning of January. You said you always met up 'here', but he wasn't around yet… I didn't know what you were talking about, but you used Sam's office phone to call Fangtasia and you had a shitfit because y'all 'already took care of that bitch'. So you explained that your Eric had pissed off some Witch and she cast a spell on him. You were barely done explaining what happened when Eric showed up to meet up with you… When that Eric was cursed, he wasn't gone but a couple hours before you got to him though because of some bond… Once she and Pam killed the Witch the spell was broken, but Eric didn't remember what he missed while he was under the spell… not that he missed much. I'm gonna take a stab and guess that wasn't y'all… _another y'all?_"

I nodded. "Sookie was with me at Fangtasia the night Hallow made her demands. By sunset the next night, she and Paulette had circled the wagons… Hallow and Mark were bound from doing harm in my Area. When she shifted her attentions to New Orleans, Andre didn't waste time with magic. He showed his sense of humor by burning them at the stake dressed as pilgrims."

She giggled. "Like Salem?"

"Exactly."

"Well… it wasn't long after that I heard and saw Gran thinking about 'Jan'… then I started catching little hints now and then… I even teased Gran about it when we saw 'Missing' posters of him at Wal-Mart… she thought 'poor Jan'… I told her that he looked like more of an 'Eric' to me… she was having fun with the secret and that other Sookie told me not to mess around with the Witches unless I could kill them… She gave me a short list of folks I could trust if they came out here looking for him. Pam, Jason, that Witch you mentioned, Paulette… otherwise to keep my mouth shut about him or I'd get us both killed…" _Good advice._

My Sookie nodded thoughtfully then raised her eyebrow. "So what's with the two jobs?"

"Money was already really tight keeping up the bills on this house and Jason's… When Gran died, her Social Security checks stopped. I guess the fever just got to me because I'm run down."

My Sookie shook her head and pulled her wallet out of her pocket… she emptied her cash out on the night stand, and I followed suit, only keeping a few hundred in case we needed it…

Sookie scowled at us and snatched the cash to count it. "$6,000! You two walk around with what I make in 4 months in your wallets!? _**I can't take this!**_" She'd shoved the money through the air to get My Sookie to take it back.

My Sookie gently pushed her hand back. "I made more than 3 times that much last night… Take it. It should cover your past due bills and get Gran a proper headstone… Ok… A plan…"

Pam was still pouting when I looked over to her. "You said you've been in hiding. Was your resting place breeched?"

"No. When you disappeared, I yanked the hard drive out of the computer and took the files from the safe and left. I've been using our Bossier safehouse just in case."

"So my house hasn't been compromised?"

"Not that I know of. What are you thinking?"

I asked the rapidly improving patient, "Sookie, does _this_ Holly know about your ability?"

She nodded. "To an extent. Everyone sorta knows."

"Does she know that you can't read Vampire minds?"

"No. No one _would_ know that. There hasn't been one out here except for him."

"Good. Call her. Tell her that you finally felt ill enough to go to an emergency room and while you were there, you overheard the thoughts of a Vampire who was planning to raid Fangtasia… that she needs to call all of the other Witches and warn them."

She started scooting off of the bed. "Aye, aye captain… are you hoping that someone will be able to contact that witch and she'll show up."

"Yes." And when she did, I'd snap her neck and burn the building down around the rest for good measure.

Jan and the other Sookie (who was just as stubborn as mine) rode with me and My Sookie to Shreveport…

We were barely out of Sookie's pitted driveway before the questions started. Both Jan and his Sookie were curious about details. It almost seemed senseless to give them since Jan probably wouldn't remember and certainly wouldn't believe Sookie's testimony since she was a stranger to him… As it was, they both stared at the back of Sookie's head for most of the drive since it was laid on my shoulder.

After the questions waned, about halfway into the ride, My Sookie began feeling frustrated and sympathetic, defensive and obstinate…

I was concerned enough that I was trying to think of a way to ask her why… Since Jan spoke English, he'd know the other languages I did. If I whispered, he'd have heard it…

But My Sookie's sudden feeling of victory relieved me…

"Jan?"

"Yes?"

"Have you fed from anyone while you've been in Bon Temps?" We'd been together for 6 months and she was still surprising me… Her moods had been the result of telepathically talking her other self into feeding him…

"No. I haven't spoken to anyone but Adele since I arrived. We decided that it wasn't safe."

"You need to feed." His quiet made her lift her head and turn to look at him. "We're about to confront the Witches who stole a thousand years worth of memories from you. Sweetie, you need your strength. Do you remember how to do it without killing the donor?"

I watched in the rearview mirror as he nodded slowly with a gaped mouth.

She smiled at him and patted him knee. "K… Sookie's willing, but she's never been fed from so you're going to have to be gentle."

His fangs ran out as he nodded again, making the other Sookie jump. "Wait. I thought you said that you're going to feed yours too."

My Sookie nodded. "I am, but… _ummm_, we should wait until the car's stopped first."

"Why?"

"Since we're bonded… when he feeds from me it causes a kind of chain reaction."

"What kind of chain reaction?"

My Sookie licked her lips and smirked in my direction. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Uh, yeah! I mean, if it happens to y'all… yeah. I want to know."

"Then let's just say that feeding him usually leads to dessert."

"Desser…? _Nooooo_."

"Because we're bonded, but you aren't. You shouldn't have that problem." She buried her face in her hands and disappeared from the rearview… I was too amused since it seemed so long since My Sookie was so bashful. It was only then that it occurred to me that without a Bill, without knowing me, unless that Sookie had finally caved for Merlotte, she was still as 'inexperienced' as mine was when I found her.

Since My Sookie still didn't speak Swedish, I knew the other one wouldn't either. I warned, "Hon räddade dig med sin tystnad, så du är skyldig henne hela din existens. All min erfarenhet säger mig att hon är oskuld, så det är bäst för dig att du tar det varsamt, så jag slipper förinta dig på ren princip. Är det förstått?"

He nodded. "Klart och tydligt."

My Sookie turned enough to reach back and take the other's hand. "It's going to hurt at first, but it's not bad. His saliva will numb it after a second… and if he doesn't stop on his own, I'll punch him in his dick."

She snickered and slapped My Sookie's arm. "Don't make me laugh. This is scary for me."

"If you don't want me to help you relax, then touch him… focus on his thoughts. I'm still using Eric to avoid freaking out when a plane lands."

"Really?"

I adjusted the rearview so that I could be watchful, unsure if being punched in the dick could stop 'me' from draining Sookie considering the state he was in…

The blissful expression that took over the other Sookie's face was the only clue I had that she'd made contact with Jan. Not only did I watch his skin get back what little bit of pigment we had, but he behaved well enough to withdraw his fangs after three long draws and healed her marking without prompting.

While he growled, fighting the understandable urge to go back for seconds, My Sookie leaned over and kissed my neck. "That's why."

"What question are you answering?"

"When you asked why I love you… Even when you don't know who the hell you are, you're still a good man... Children and old ladies agree."

With nothing but ashes left of Fangtasia and its frantically plotting occupants, the five of us returned to Jan's house…

Not only was it the closest, but we all needed to wash away the gasoline and odor of singed magic and we still had loose ends to tie up. So it was decided that the other Sookie and Pam would stay with Jan at his house so that they could be there for the tutorial.

My Sookie led the way down to 'his' room so that she could find something fresh for herselves and Pam to wear, relieving him of T-shirts all three pairs of his underwear, teasingly calling us 'commando Vampires' as she ran up the stairs… I was left to give the memoryless version of myself a tour of _his_ resting place. Still, nothing was familiar to him.

Since his Sookie hadn't known why his memory didn't return as soon as Hallow was dead, Pam called Paulette while we were en route to find out that a spell strong enough to void a Vampire's memory would most likely need a night or two to wear off. It still tried my patience to see him stare into his closet as though it was a stranger's. As financially strapped as Adele had been, she'd bought him only 3 pairs of sweatpants and T shirts… and her guess as to his shoe size left something to be desired.

Leaving him to take his shower, I began staging the business and political aspects that I hoped would be over quickly so that Sookie and I could retire and go home.

As soon as he stepped under the water, he asked, "Are you sure she can't be glamoured?"

"Positive. I've tried."

"Why?"

"Various reasons. Unfortunately, she's doomed to remember everything that she doesn't consciously hide from."

"Then why did she help me? She needed the bounty."

"Because you needed help."

"That doesn't seem practical."

"You met Adele. You know that she was delightfully unique… Sookie was raised with a different way of thinking than most humans."

"If she can't be glamoured, then how can I be sure she'll be discrete?"

"Bring her to your side. Be patient. Don't lie to her. She'll be the best thing that ever happened to you."

"A human?"

"No. Not just any human. _**The**_ _**human**_ who took a second job instead of selling you to Hallow. _**The**_ _**human**_ who provided for you and extended an invitation without any promise of reward. _**The**_ _**human**_ who fed you so that you'd have the strength to execute the bitch who cursed you and then cried when she saw that you had a flesh wound. _**That human**_. Not random slag. Not a pathetic, materialistic pet. _**That human**_ is better than you… Sookie is braver and more loyal than anything or anyone I've ever met. _**That**_ _**human**_ will love you and forgive your faults and demons because she knows, _she knows too well_, that every man has them. If you give her the chance, _**that human**_ will make you love and need and laugh and fight and question yourself, but more importantly, she'll make you happy."

Without drying, he left the shower to stand in the doorframe. "You…. _**I love**_?"

"No. You don't because you've only had but a taste of what Sookie is capable of… Sookie, and everything she has to offer, is everything you'll ever want or need. Since I can remember every bit of what I've seen and done, you should try to remember that above anything."

He stared at me for a moment as though I was the one impaired and scoffed as he returned to his shower…

I'd expected as much.

We reconvened in 'Adele's room'… Jan had waited for me to finish my shower, not knowing his own home and feeling more unwelcome there than he had in Bon Temps.

His eyes widened as we walked into the library, scanning the shelves. "Adele would've staked me if she knew I have this…"

The women were already waiting so My Sookie giggled at him. "Yeah, she would. As it is, My Gran has changed her will. When she dies, she wants to be cremated and kept here." Pam rolled her eyes.

I set Jan's laptop on the desk and as soon as I logged on, I missed the new one Sookie had given me at Christmas… The 'tastefully nude' photo of Sookie as my wallpaper aside, I'd already gotten used to the new operating system. "Adele spends most of her alone time in this room… that armchair is hers now."

The other Sookie gave a bittersweet smile and sighed, "I bet" as she fingered the spine of Candide. "So what's next? What are y'all doing?"

"Not us. We… Because we're in the unique situation of Jan having amnesia, _**we**_ are making a video record for him in the case that he doesn't remember what happened while he was cursed once the spell is broken. There are certain things that you'll have to be careful of, things that could quite possibly make your lives more difficult…"

He finally stopped looking over the books to ask, "Such as?"

I only paused long enough to start the recording and sit down. "Hadley is a defining factor. In our version of reality, Hadley didn't die. She was just estranged and later became the pet, then child, of Sophie-Ann… By bonding to Sophie-Ann, they shared this… this strange experience of sliding into different versions of their reality… The fact that our versions of Sophie-Ann and Andre know about it, offers a certain amount of cushion. Since I can tell everyone else to shut the fuck up or mind their own business, being able to explain information provided in our skips fully to the only one I answer to is easier. You'll need to formulate an excuse for why you were missing for so long only to resolve the situation over night."

"Your version of Sophie-Ann bonded to Sookie's cousin and this happens to her too?"

My Sookie nodded and waved the memory card that she'd started keeping in her wallet, just as I had. "This will be your best friend. Y'all need to make copies and add to it… There are more than 200 journal entries on this…"

Pam gasped, "200?" Jan and the other Sookie were just as shocked.

My Sookie nodded. "Twelve of them are ours. We've collected four journals from different Sophie-Anns and they've all had years of skipping experience. It's kind of insane considering how different they all are. I mean, this version has seen two other versions now. Our first one was a little nuts because neither pair of Us had ever skipped before. But… we've actually overlapped a couple of times, you know, met the same versions more than once. He's the King of Louisiana in one version…"

I added, "She's already been turned in two others…"

The other Sookie shrieked, _**"TURNED!?"**_

My Sookie shrugged. "They had a business trip that didn't go well. It was be turned or die completely. The other time was because Bill Compton is a greedy, overambitious fuck-stain…"

"I'm going to fire Alcide if you keep talking like that."

She giggled and kissed my cheek. "Leave him alone. Besides, I got that one from Pam." I didn't bother looking surprised. "Anyway… Bill Compton isn't a problem for you because he's double dead in this version… K… back to things… It's kind of a pain in the ass, but we've gotten used to it. When I wake up for the day, I put Eric's phone and wallet into his hand so that he isn't stuck without his too. I guess the best thing y'all can do is just make it a point to keep the journals up to date… That means you need to add the first one and this one. Add as many notes as you can because, in all honesty, it isn't a diary as much as a guide for all the other ones you run into."

"Umm… How does it… how do you get back?"

"We go to bed. It's that simple. We don't know how or why, but in every version we've come across, all we have to do is turn in and everything resets itself for us. It'll be sunset for us, but time for y'all will stay put because y'all were the hosts."

Pam huffed, rolling her eyes again and sitting on the chair behind the desk. "Then what?"

Always a brat… "Then you wait for Jan's memory lapse to correct itself, educate him as to everything that's happened if he doesn't remember it, and then start fixing the post-Hallow clusterfuck that is Shreveport. I strongly suggest you keep Sookie a secret. Sophie-Ann having her own Stackhouse is definitely a reason why I haven't been challenged for her."

My Sookie studied the ceiling for a moment before she thought of something to add. "You two can't exchange blood somewhere that isn't light tight. We blackout and go for hours…"

Jan narrowed his eyes. "Hours?"

I nodded. "It happened to us several times before we recorded it… the recording was time stamped and stopped at 10am… _before we did_."

Since the other Sookie was starting to blush, Mine changed the subject despite Jan's interest. "Ooh! Detective Coughlin!" Sookie bolted from my lap and reached over the desk to grab a note pad and pen. "Rene's other victims. We only know of three because our Rene was stopped. His first victim was his sister… the other two were customers at Fangtasia. If you contact Coughlin with Shreveport PD, he'll look into the two Shreveport murders and connect them to the ones Jason went up for… He should get cleared in no time."

Jan nodded. "If your brother needs a lawyer, I'll make sure he has a good one. I owe you that much. I offered to help, but Adele refused…"

She shook her head. "How could you have helped?"

"I offered to mimic the other crimes while Jason had an alibi."

"You offered to kill a girl…?"

"Or two."

Her eyes widened. "No wonder Gran told you no!"

"Actually, she hit me."

Both Sookie's snorted out identical laughs, but I patted My Sookie's thigh. "Have we covered everything?"

She bit her lip as she thought about it. "No Hadley means that they're on their own and have to wag the dog. Become one with the skip journal. Don't share blood in the open. How to get Jason out of jail… I think so."

She waited for me to agree before she stood up, ejected her memory card and took the pen to write something in Jan's palm… and then hugged her other self, which was a first. "Keep a bead on me. You'll feel us leave… See ya."

Sookie sighed as she tossed herself down on the bed. "Time for our magic carpet ride."

"You seem less annoyed with this skip than before."

"I don't know. I'm kind of proud of that one. She had enough sense to keep his secret… and Bill being dead is always a plus…"

I turned around as though I'd leave. "That reminds me… I need to ask about her uncle."

As I expected her to, she bounced onto my back, laughing playfully. "Oh, no you don't! You only get to kill Bartlett once. Get in bed so we can go home!"

"Only if you tell me what you wrote on his hand."

"She cared for you when you had nothing. Remember her. Trust her. She'll love you forever."

"Because you'll love me forever?"

She giggled against my ear. "You're not in bed yet."

I chuckled at her and laid back on top of her while she struggled, cackling as she tried to get out from under me. "Waiting."

"Yes! You giant butthead! Now get off…"

"Say it."

"I'll love your heavy ass forever. Now roll over." She slapped my ass while I situated so that she could curl up next to me.

We'd only had our eyes closed for a few minutes before we heard the pounding of footsteps barreling down the stairs…

Sookie and I were smiling at each other by the time the door to our room swung open and Hunter ran in to jump onto the bed. "Welcome home! _Was there a ME!?_" From the smell of him, he'd been outside when he felt us return.

Sookie giggled as she kissed his cheek. "No sir. Sorry."

His grin melted instantly, making his lip poke out. "Why not?"

"Because that Hadley didn't live long enough to have you."

His only reply was blowing a raspberry that I returned.

I asked, "Is everything normal?"

He nodded. "Yep. For now."


	2. Chapter 2

**Death's Door**

**Chapter 2**

**The Video**

Rising was nothing if not peculiar.

My mind felt like there was something missing… If it hadn't been for the fact that it had been so long since I'd been drunk, I'd swear that I was hung over.

I remembered the night before in a blur… like watching someone else's life through a rain drenched window...

Something was going to have to be done. Whatever that Witch had done to me, I'd find out. The last thing I remembered was watching myself snap the neck of Hallow's ultimatum delivering underling to prove a point… the point that no one would get anything from me unless I was willing to give it. Hallow wanted a percentage of Fangtasia's profits without any effort on her part except for her poorly executed blackmail plans.

Losing my temper.

Breaking the Witch's neck.

Rising at home… and next to Pam no less.

I seemed to be without injury.

The ghost of a recent meal flavored my lips.

Bizarre.

As I stirred, I found a piece of paper in my hand. Neatly folded and smelling foreign yet familiar.

"_When you're up, I'll be waiting for you upstairs in the study with my fingers crossed.  
-Sookie"_

What the fuck is a Sookie?

I hadn't intended to wait a second longer than necessary to solve the mystery of what the fuck a Sookie was and why the fuck it would be in my house. When I reached into my closet to grab a shirt, I noticed writing on my palm…

"_She cared for you when you had nothing. Remember her. Trust her. She'll love you forever."_

It was in _**my**_ script, but I didn't remember writing it…. When the fuck did I write it and… **Who**? Who the fuck cared for me? …and why the fuck would I trust anyone, let alone care if she loved me?

I couldn't get to my study fast enough.

The first thing I saw was a blond ponytail. A tiny thing slumped over my desk, arm crooked under her head as a pillow with an open book inches from her face.

The room was ripe with a familiar scent, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was or where it came from. At the very least, I could call it sweet, if not welcoming.

That must've been a Sookie.

I circled the desk, eyeing the tome her tiny fingers were curled around… _Seven Plays by Sophocles?_ I couldn't help but wonder if she'd understood a word of it. Then again, I could've been underestimating her intellect based on her wardrobe. My tank top and boxers made me curious about anything but her mind…

How the fuck did she end up in my house… and my clothing?

I studied her for a moment before taking another step. Watching her purr in her sleep with a curious combination of a grin and damp eyelashes… her legs twisted up underneath her.

The closer I was, the stronger the scent of daylight became… closing my eyes, I could fool myself into thinking that I was basking in a field of sugar cane.

How did Sookie smell so wonderful? And where the fuck could I find more of them?

Amazed and leaning closer… I was only inches away when she cooed and my fangs sprang out. Her smell was more tempting than I would've thought possible. It was a chore to keep from touching her. It was a stark contrast to my usual repulsion to humans.

Her eyelids rolled open slowly to expose magnificently bright blue eyes. She surprised me with a wide grin as she lifted her head, putting her hand to my cheek. She purred, "You look different."

"Different from what exactly?"

Her thumb whispered over my cheekbone. "I don't… your mind feels busier than ever… I guess, your eyes are older. Before they were so fresh, innocent even…" Her smile spread even wider. "You got yourself back, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Her chin puckered, lip trembling, eyes watering. "Oh sweetie, Paulette said that it could take a while. Don't give up." Sweetie? Give up?

"Paulette who?" I only knew one Paulette and Pam was the only one to know about my involvement with her.

"Paulette Simonette, your housekeeper in New Orleans… we called… _Eric?_"

"How do you know who I am?"

The fear I'd expected to see when she first woke appeared as suddenly as a lightning strike. She jerked out of the chair and ran backwards until she'd cornered herself against the shelves. The smell of fear was usually an amusement, an enjoyable appetizer to a meal, but the smell of Sookie's fear was acidic… She screeched, "_**PAM!**_" She knew Paulette. She knew Pam. She knew me…

"Why don't I know you?"

She sobbed into her hand. "_I'm_ _sooooo sorry… I don't know what went wrong! The spell should've…!_" Spell? She was a Witch?

I didn't have the chance to react to the idea that there was a Witch in my home before Pam sped past me to put herself between us.

"Sookie, what is it?"

She was hyperventilating. "He… he… he doesn't even… something went wrong… _**so wrong**_… now he doesn't even know who… who I am." Why the fuck would I?

Pam turned, pushing her back to Sookie as though she was protecting her. "Eric? How are you feeling?"

"Just like always." What the fuck was she expecting? Seasonal allergies? Arthritis flare-up?

"Always being…?"

"I'm not in the fucking mood for games, Pam. Why don't you explain why the fuck there's a Witch in my home after the ultimatum that was delivered last night."

"Last…?" She looked defeated as she turned to Sookie. "Calm down, dear. You stink."

Sookie sobbed, "Stink?"

"Your fear. It's disgusting. He won't harm you…"

"I know _**THAT**_! But he doesn't remember…"

"We were aware this could happen…"

"He asked me who Paulette is… then how I know him."

Pam turned back to me. "Do you know who I am?"

"Of course I do. You're the high maintenance brat who asked permission to turn Christian Louboutin so that he could be your personal cobbler forever."

"Then why don't you know who Paulette and Sookie are?"

"I know who Paulette is. I was asking the little Witch how she knew Paulette."

"She isn't a Witch… she's the girl who hid you from the Witches."

"I don't fucking hide." She knew that.

Pam turned back to Sookie and used her calmest tone. "What he's regained is most important. We can work on the rest. In contrast he's only lost a blink."

"One of you will start explaining… _**NOW**_."

When Pam turned to face me again, Sookie took her hand. The oddity was that Pam allowed the contact.

"Master…"

"Fuck the formalities. Facts. _**NOW**_."

"What do you remember from _last night_?" More games.

"It's hazy. I remember another annoying night kicking cattle until _Bridget_ arrived with the message from '_High Priestess' Hallow_. I snapped the cunt's neck. Then I rose in my bed."

"Eric, what was the date?"

"December 31st. I don't remember that ridiculous countdown or the usual subsequent 'New Year' noise. Just rising downstairs."

"It's March 26th."

"That's absurd… How could not remember nearly 3 months? _I remember everything_."

Pam forced a long breath. "The Witch, Bridget, was booby-trapped."

"Very funny. Glamour the actress and send her home in a cab. I have work to do."

She shook her head and took a step towards me, still holding Sookie's hand. "Somehow your memories were erased. Amnesia. Sookie's grandmother, Adele, took you in. When Adele died, Sookie continued your care. Hallow put a bounty on you, but the Stackhouses… Eric, you didn't know who you were, so they kept your secret…"

"Marvelous. How long did it take you to dream up this practical joke?"

"I was so scared, I almost sent for your maker. I felt you, searched Bon Temps for you, but every time I got close, you ran."

"Were you nagging for a new fur?"

"I'm not joking, Eric. You've been living in Bon Temps, waiting for your memory to return for 12 weeks."

"Then how was I rescued?"

"You called me accidentally."

Not that it had been amusing in the beginning, but that was more than too much. "Stop. I'll burn your storage units."

"I'll pour the gasoline myself… We… there's a video. Watch it…"

"You've already shown me Two Girls, One Cup and if you think I'm going to let you startle me with another 'Flying Car' commercial…"

"You need to watch it." She finally took her hand from Sookie to reach across the desk and open my laptop.

"If I had no memory, how did you load a video on my computer?"

"_You_… remembered your password."

I rolled my eyes as I typed my password, hoping like hell that Pam's punch line was on the way… I paid no attention to the fact that my taskbar date had been reset. I could've done that myself.

I sat in my chair, still warm from the sweet little actress and no sooner than I did, Pam began leading Sookie out of the room. "I'm going to take her to dress and eat. You'll need some time. We'll be back."

"You don't want to stay and see my reaction?"

"No." That was the precise moment that I believed her. Pam wouldn't go to the trouble of plotting out a joke as involved as hiring an actress without staying to indulge in her reveal.

Fuck.

I watched myself, sitting on the sofa with a Sookie on my lap, while a practically retarded version of me stood in the background… a duplicate Sookie as well.

Skipping?

One of me was 'Eric' another was being referred to as 'Jan'.

'Eric' was supposedly bonded to the Sookie on his lap.

Sophie-Ann and Andre shouldn't be told about Sookie, but why would they have an interest?

Fucking for hours past dawn was a new concept and one I was tempted to explore.

Memory cards loaded with journal entries.

Sookie's brother had been jailed for murder and 'Jan' had offered to help.

It was all very vague. Nondescript. Very few details.

Eric and a Sookie said their goodbyes… _**that**_ Sookie had been the one to write on my hand. How she managed to duplicate my penmanship was beyond me… Even more puzzling was her remark about how her other self would 'feel' her leave. How the fuck was that at all possible?

Pam had remained off camera, but her voice was heard.

When the remaining Sookie took a place on the sofa, 'Jan' followed and sat stiffly, if not nervously, next to her.

"What now?"

She pet his hand where it rested on his knee. "Paulette's the 'expert' here. I guess we wait."

He huffed, "Wait… I've been without my memory for months."

She frowned sympathetically. "I'm sorry. If I'd known… We didn't have any clues about who you were… and Sam put up a reward poster in the bar. I couldn't risk going to anyone. I didn't want to…"

"I'm not… No one blames you. You were smart to keep my secret. I'm just frustrated."

Sookie and Jan turned their attention to Pam. "Gee. I wonder why you'd be frustrated. Could it be that your Area has fallen to shit while you frolicked with your geriatric baby sitter or that you could've been getting laid while your responsibilities are in ruin?"

While Jan looked on, Sookie gasped, "That's horrible! Don't be like that. As soon as he heard there was a way to fix it, he acted. It's not like he _**liked**_ sleeping in the crawlspace of a dilapidated house. You saw him! He wasn't living it up! The first live blood he's had the whole time he's been gone was tonight. **His life sucked too**. At least you had your own clothes, _some kind of _information network. He's been wearing WalMart sweats and memorizing tombstones. Be fair. None of y'all have been in the lap of luxury."

Jan nodded. "Pam, since my memory hasn't returned… I can't very well return to my duties as I am…"

Pam barked, "Don't. You. Dare. Threaten to make me sheriff."

"Call the Queen. Inform her that you used the full moon to enable separating the coven and slaughtered the Witches singlehandedly to seek retribution for your maker. You'll offer to act in my stead in preparation of my homecoming. If my memory returns, I'll explain my sudden return to service truthfully, omitting the part about Sookie's assistance."

"If. It. Doesn't?"

"We'll give it time. If it doesn't return, then you'll step down and we'll move on."

"You can't stay here."

"I'm aware…"

Sookie offered, "You can come back to Bon Temps with me. I know my house isn't much, but… you're still welcome there."

Jan smiled at her. "The quiet of Bon Temps pleased me… I might just do that, but I wouldn't burden you. I might purchase the plantation I've been staying in. I'd be close to Shreveport if Pam needs me…"

Pam interrupted, "Isn't that precious! Am I to call the Queen tonight?"

Jan didn't hesitate. "Yes. You don't want news of the fire at Fangtasia to reach New Orleans before your call. Go. Make the call now."

Pam only appeared in the frame for a moment on her way out of the study.

I watched Sookie inch closer to Jan on the sofa and lower her voice. "That was… _pretty decisive_… are you sure nothing's coming back?"

He shook his head slowly. "At best, I'm sensing that I should be quite used to how difficult Pam is." He hadn't seen the half of it.

"I don't know about that. If I had to guess, I'd say that she loves you more than anything and seeing you like this has to be hard for her."

"You're defending the way she's speaking to us?"

Sookie nodded, inching closer again. "She's seen you without a memory of her and another you who cares more about his Sookie."

"It's sweet of you to consider her feelings." Astounding would be the more fitting word.

"I think when your memories come back, she'll be better… when you remember what she is to you… I'm sorry. Jan…"

He corrected, "Eric... I suppose I should get used to it." So bizarre.

She nodded. "I guess you're right… I'm sure everything will be fine. Either way, you've got her support. Mine too if you want it…"

"I'm sorry that you'll miss work tomorrow."

She rubbed his shoulder. "Don't worry about that. I won't have any trouble catching up the bills now that the other Sookie made me her favorite charity case… And I'm gonna call that detective in the morning about getting Jason's case reopened. Without his bills to worry about once he's out, I'm gonna be just fine. _Don't you worry about me_."

He disappeared from the frame and the only thing to be seen was Sookie's watchful posture… the only thing to be heard was the opening and closing of desk drawers.

When he came back into the frame, he knelt at her feet. _A human's feet._ Never.

"Take this to be sure."

She wore a puzzled expression as she took the check from him… she gasped, ripping the check to shreds. "No."

"Sookie, you'd have made that by turning me over to Hallow. It will keep you…"

"I won't hear of it. Stop. I'm not going to be some war-profiteer. I'm not…"

"I know you didn't do it for the money. Secure your finances. Donate the rest to the library in Adele's name. She didn't like that you were working so much. She'd be beside herself if she knew you almost worked yourself to death."

"No."

"I can write checks faster than you can tear them."

She giggled and put her hands on his face. "But I'd still have to deposit it or spend it. Nice try. I'm _not_ taking your money."

"I'll glamour you to take it."

There was a mischievous twinkle in her eye when she giggled again. She leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "You can try."

"Why did you pretend? You let me think I glamoured you." How the fuck? Had he been unable to glamour too?

"It was better that way. It would've been too tempting to keep you company. There aren't any other Vampires in Bon Temps, so I couldn't play off the scent if anyone came looking for you." Sookie was definitely smarter than my underwear had implied.

"I promised to repay the favor to Adele. Sookie, let me take care of you."

"You can repay the favor by getting your memory back. Gran just wanted to see you get better."

He growled a more menacing growl than even I thought was necessary and ran out his fangs.

It only made her laugh. "Not scary."

"Now that you've seen me kill, it should be." Who did he kill? I was anxious enough, _involved enough_ that I was reminded of how Pam behaved when she watched Big Brother.

"I've also seen you hurt…" Unbelievable. She gasped as though she was surprised and seemingly stared into nothing for a moment. "Eric, they're… they aren't in your room anymore."

"Where did they go?"

"Nowhere. They're… I swear, their minds were like watching a candle flicker out."

"That's interesting… Just gone?"

She nodded. "Just gone. Just like that… How bizarre is this?"

"_**This**_ being that I've been cursed with amnesia or _**this**_ being that we were just given a walkthrough of our lives from ourselves from another dimension who are practically married? Judging by Pam's reaction to their bond, I'm not prone to having pets." That was a gross understatement if ever I heard one… I'd never kept pets. Ever.

Sookie's answer was giggled. "Do I have to pick just one?"

He chuckled, "No, I don't imagine you do. You're handling this very well for a human. I was impressed enough that Adele was willing to offer shelter…"

"Sweetie, I'm a telepath…" A what? No. Way. Possible. I backed the video up to make sure that my hearing hadn't started failing me with my memory… "Sweetie, I'm a telepath…"Again. "Sweetie, I'm a telepath… And I had another version of me show up already. I've done my tossing and turning over this stuff." Telepath. I wasn't hearing things. She was a fucking telepath… I backed the video up to watch for Jan's reaction as well. Nothing. He'd known.

"Sookie, before I forget… I found her… It was just after sunset. She hadn't been dead long, but…"

She tearfully choked, "Gran?"

He nodded. "I'd have healed her if I'd gotten to her in time. She was already gone."

Sookie sniffled and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry."

"I didn't want you to find her. The only thing I could think to do was put the phone in her hand and call 9-1-1."

I watched her smooth her hands over his back as though it had been his grandmother who died… "That must've been so horrible for you… The only person you knew. _Oh sweetie_…"

Their conversation was interrupted when Pam returned. Jan moved back to the sofa as she stomped into the room. "Sweet. While you two were making out, the Queen gushed over my diligence and loyalty. She's hopeful that you return soon and I'll be the Sheriff until the hypothetical time when my maker returns to relieve me of my duties."

Jan sighed, "Good."

"Has anything come back?"

He shook his head and reached for the laptop, until then I hadn't been sure that they'd remembered that the webcam was still recording. "There was another version. An Eric that was cursed as I am, who was found immediately. His memory was affected as well…"

Sookie nodded. "The first Sookie I met said that she was there when it happened and followed him. He only lost 3 hours though. As near as they can figure, he was flying and trying to figure out where to go."

He nodded. "So it's possible that I might not recover my memory of the time that I was in Bon Temps?"

Pam snarled, "Wouldn't that be awful."

"Pam, in light of that, see to acquiring a lawyer for Jason Stackhouse…"

"Yes, master."

"I'm only mentioning it because I don't want to forget... Sookie has refused to be compensated in any way. I want any and all debts in Jason and Adele's names to be paid in full so that she's no longer obliged to pay them."

Sookie gasped and slapped his arm. "You jerk! You know that…"

He smirked at her. "What? I know that both mortgages were taken by Adele to pay for Jason's legal fees? That most of the bills are in their names?"

She rolled her eyes and lifted her chin as she crossed her arms under her breasts… I almost didn't notice that he'd been preoccupied with the action because I was too.

"I still have a debt to settle with you, Sookie, but that's how I can repay Adele. I don't want to ignore the debt by forgetting it."

She blew a raspberry at him. "You spent too much time with Gran. You picked up her worst habits… sneaky and stubborn. Good thing she didn't smoke."

Pam began cackling, "_Sweet, naïve Sookie_. You haven't seen the tip of that iceberg. Eric has been a hardheaded bastard for no less than a thousand years." Thanks Pam.

Jan looked offended, but Sookie began giggling again. "I guess I'll find out soon enough."

Pam crooned, "So very hopeful."

Sookie nodded with an air of absolute certainty. "All I have left is hope, Pam. We've lost everything in the past few months. His memory, my brother, your maker. Hope is what we've got tonight… So… I guess y'all should go first. I can add my 'skippy thingy' experience to that journal while y'all are dead for the day, but y'all should go ahead, right?"

Jan nodded. "I'll take you to find something to eat while Pam takes her turn. There won't be much to my contribution."

"As comfy as this is, I'm not dressed to go out… I didn't even bother trying to wash my clothes. They were covered in Witch bits and petrol… straight in the garbage." That would explain how she was in my underwear… I preferred how my imagination put her in them.

He chuckled, standing and offering his hand. "You'll need something to sustain you for the day. You haven't been well. _I owe you at least a meal_. Come along."

As she slid her hand into his, I inspected my own hand, smelling the residual sweetness left behind by contact with her. That scent was the only thing that gave me any connection to the 'Me' in the video.

It was almost too much.

Pam spun the laptop around as Sookie left with Jan and rolled her eyes at the computer complaining about being immortalized in a video when she'd been without her makeup.

Poor Pam.

Her update encompassed the time she'd been in hiding since my disappearance… most of which was read from scrolling through her phone as she'd been keeping a thorough diary. She'd imprisoned Bobby so that anything he knew about me couldn't be gotten from torturing him. She'd kept him for 5 weeks before she 'downloaded' all of the information she could and ended him.

In just 12 weeks time, Hallow had found, drained and executed more than 400 Vampires in my Area. Staggering. The other 187 had migrated, gone into hiding or been added to the list of unconfirmed deaths. The idea of Vampires hiding from something as pathetic as a Witch galled me… but considering that she'd erased my memory it was wiser for them.

Bubba had been among them. Compton had been sent to stand in for me, but a puddle including the key to his Cadillac had been found next to his parked car at Fangtasia the morning after he arrived. The Queen had offered to send help, but she'd spun the Witch infestation to buy her some time to ignore her unwanted proposals from Arkansas.

It was going to take years, if not decades, for Area 5 to recover from what happened in my absence.

Pam spent a fair amount of time debriefing me on our retaliation. Two of Me alongside Pam had seemed like it would be enough, but the idea that there had been two Sookie's fighting with us awed me. Pam had decided that the other Sookie would be called 'Uppity-Sookie' for the sake of the play by play description and the Sookie who'd cared for Jan was nicknamed 'Sookie-With-Potential'. They'd both shielded the three Vampires in their company from silver netting and stakes. Uppity-Sookie had been more helpful since she'd had substantial amounts of Vampire blood, leaving Pam (and me) far more impressed with the Sookie-with-Potential's devotion and grit.

I was further impressed when Pam mentioned that earlier in the evening, Sookie had been found with a fever 'high enough to cook her brain'.

The fact that Sookie provided shelter to a strange Vampire with no intention of accepting anything in return wasn't the only inspiring thing about the girl.

Pam was pointedly describing the frustrated encounter she'd first had with 'Eric' and focusing on how he'd tended to 'Sookie with Potential' while she was still unconscious when Jan returned with Sookie.

She was giggling, "You didn't have to glamour the girl… Geez."

"She wouldn't have made a fresh sandwich for you otherwise."

"Thank you… Hey… I got a question."

"What would that be?"

"Have you read all of these?"

"I should think so…"

Pam moaned, "Yes. He's queer for books… always has been." Thanks again, Pam.

Sookie giggled again. "That would make him right up Gran's alley… So Eric… _I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest_…"

Pam moaned and made a wretched face, but the off-screen silence was pregnant. Finally Jan muttered, "Much… Much Ado About Nothing… yes?" Sookie had quoted Shakespeare to test his memory.

Sookie's voice was light. "Read that since New Years, did you?"

"No."

"_Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."_

"Anna Karenina. More."

She quickly decided, _"__Water, water, everywhere, and all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink."_

He didn't pause. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Coleridge."

She hummed for a moment while she thought of another quote. _"__When one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people."_

"The Importance of Being Earnest." He didn't seem at all surprised that she could so quickly quote classic literature, just excited to remember something from before his curse. I couldn't blame him.

Pam rolled her eyes, but she looked encouraged. "Not bad, but you'll have to play the Double Jeopardy round carefully. The Daily Doubles will get you every time."

Sookie offered a laugh. "Shut up."

"It not wise to tell me to shut up, Sookie."

"_The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud."_

Pam fought to resist smiling. "Do you think you can win me by quoting Coco Chanel?" Yes. She could. Quoting Chanel could most definitely soften Pam.

"Maybe… Alright. I'm going to take your lit awareness as a good sign. Can you hand one to me? I don't want to stand on your shelves to reach…"

"Which?"

"Iliad..."

"It's in Greek."

"Nuts… how 'bout Sophocles then. Ajax is one of my favorites. I haven't read it in a while..." Mine too. "Thanks… I'm gonna take this to the patio. I don't want to stink up your house with people food. I'm sure y'all need to talk."

There was what sounded like a kiss just before Jan asked, "What was that for?"

"Congratulations, I guess… You didn't look at the shelf before you knew your copy of the Iliad is a Greek printing."

"How did you know it was?"

"Lucky guess. It's right next to Odyssey."

Pam's eyes followed Sookie out of the room. "You have feelings for her."

"I don't know you. I doubt I'd discuss it with you if I did."

"You're right about that. You'd tell me to shut up. It doesn't change the fact that you feel something…"

"Appreciation."

"Is that all?"

"If it hadn't been for Adele and Sookie Stackhouse, I would most likely have met my end. The least I feel for them is appreciation. I owe them and will continue to for a very long time."

"You aren't like this."

"Like what?"

"Sentimental. And you aren't like the other Eric either… he was far more affectionate than you are usually."

"He was bonded to his Sookie."

"No. He was very obviously in love with his Sookie. I wouldn't think it's possible, but that little creature on your porch is quite possibly the only thing on this God forsaken planet that you, Eric, could be in love with."

"Do you have a point?"

"What did he tell you about her?"

Pam's eyes followed his as he seemed to sit as he groaned. "To quote, '_Bring her to your side. Be patient. Don't lie to her. She'll be the best thing that ever happened to you.'_ He went on to say she's, _'the human who took a second job instead of selling you to Hallow. The human who provided for you and extended an invitation without any promise of reward. The human who fed you so that you'd have the strength to execute the bitch who cursed you and then cried when she saw that you had a flesh wound.__**.**__. Not random slag. Not a pathetic, materialistic pet. That____human is better than you… Sookie is braver and more loyal than anything or anyone I've ever met. That human will love you and forgive your faults and demons because she knows, she knows too well, that every man has them. If you give her the chance, that human will make you love and need and laugh and fight and question yourself, but more importantly, she'll make you happy...'_ They met under different circumstances though."

"I'm not sure that makes a difference. In the case that you don't remember the time you spent in Bon Temps, I want to know… Do you want to be reminded of that? Do you want to be reminded that she's got potential?"

"Yes." There wasn't a single thing in his voice to leave anything to the imagination.

Pam gave a nod and waited a moment before standing and leaving the camera's view. "If you don't get your memories back right away, I want you to know how happy I am to have you back… I've been dying, but I never gave up."

"Thank you."

"I'll go keep Sookie company while I can. Thank God she loves to read. Otherwise, she'd go bonkers waiting for sunset."

I watched Jan take the seat Pam had used and adjust the laptop's camera for his height.

"There isn't much that I can offer to this account. Since the early morning hours of January 1st, I've been in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Adele Stackhouse initially discovered me. With her forethought and knowledge of the area, I began staying in the former home of their recently deceased neighbor for the day and while her granddaughter was working or sleeping, which was most of my waking hours, Adele and I would keep one another company…"

"Why did you stay in Bon Temps after she died?" As soon as I asked, I was grateful that Pam had left. If she'd heard me talking to a video, I'd never live it down.

"…Adele only wished to care for her family. I'm speaking in terms of not remembering what she did for me… I have every intention of doing everything I can to help them. Now that I know that I have the means, I want the remaining Stackhouses, Sookie especially, to enjoy a more charmed life. She's turned down loans from friends. She's turned down the offer of roommates. Sookie took a second job to pay the mortgage on her house as well as her brother's on the slim chance that he'd need a house to live in if he's exonerated. She is proud and stubborn and insistent upon working for everything she has. I can only assume those traits came gift-wrapped from Adele because that woman was just as adamant about taking care of herself. I stayed in Bon Temps even though Adele passed away because I began watching Sookie for entertainment. Between anecdotes from Adele and what I witnessed on my own, I've been continually amazed by the girl. That carries over to my discovery earlier tonight. I'd believed that I'd been glamouring her to purchase True Bloods for me since Adele's passing. After meeting the other, more demonstrative, Sookie, I was told that a side effect of telepathy is an inability to be glamoured. For more than a month, she's been buying True Bloods that she couldn't afford to make sure that I was fed… _willingly_. What's more, as we rode from Bon Temps to Shreveport to confront the bitches who cursed me, she gave her own blood so that I'd have the strength I'd need in battle. Apprehensive as she was, her hesitation was based on being afraid of the pain… And when I received a slight burn from a silver weapon, she offered a second feeding. She's spectacular. I'd be wise to pursue her… vehemently."

Without any other information, Jan reached for the computer and stopped the video.

The next segment began with a view of the top of Sookie's head with Jan's waist behind her until the angle was adjusted again. She needed help controlling the camera and opening a new document so that she could type her notes.

He stooped next to her and helped her along and I watched his nostrils flare several times at her scent during her tutorial.

"…And when you're done, just close the lid."

She giggled, "K. I think I'm all set."

"What's funny?"

"Sorry. It just occurred to me that I was raised in the technology age and I'm getting computer lessons from someone born before the printing press." Jan and I both chuckled at the irony.

"I should go. The sun will be up soon."

She nodded and grabbed the notepad on the desk. She scribbled quickly and handed the note to him. "Maybe put that somewhere you'll see it. Pam said you don't have company often… If you don't remember who I am when you wake up…" That note's handwriting had been vastly different from the one used on my palm… leaving me to wonder if the other Sookie and Eric were that closely bonded that she'd adopted the style or if she'd simply seen it often enough to duplicate it…

I watched Jan fold it and thank her before he disappeared from the camera's scope.

Sookie sat back in the seat, then leaned on her elbows. She looked over the room. She huffed out several deep breaths.

Finally she spoke, motioning between the computer and herself with a slight cringe on her angelic face. "I… Eric, I'm sorry, sweetie, but… this is really weird. The camera is freaking me out a little bit now that it's just me, so I'm gonna end up typing beaucoup notes for ya. I just want to say one thing really… Thank you. You don't have any way of knowing what was going on in Gran's head. You meant so much to her. I mean… you meant so much to her that she hid you from me to protect you. She loved you as much… as much as she's ever loved anyone. You were really special to her. Life was so screwed up that I was working so much. It made me so happy that you were there to keep her company… and it… it…" She stopped to cover her mouth, wipe tears away, fan her eyes, laugh at herself… "It breaks my freaking heart to think that… I hate that you might not remember her. I know you're old and you've seen a lot of folks come and go, but… she'd be so happy that you got your life back… You don't know how much she thought about it… so… yeah. I think that's that… Thank you for being there for her to talk to when I couldn't, for being sweet to her…"

She was holding her chest when she reached for the computer to turn of the camera.

The video was an account of my 'missing' 84 nights… from multiple perspectives.

I'd learned that…

Adele Stackhouse had spared me from final death.

I'd been dying every morning in the ancestral home of the idiot sent to replace me as Sheriff without realizing it.

Telepathy existed.

Pam could be a twit no matter the circumstances.

And Sookie Stackhouse seemed to be altruistic to her core.

I spent a few minutes reading through her notes and the journal entries from the Sookie and Eric that we'd met to see the differences in events and they were too vast to track with so many other things to think about.

I had more pressing matters… While I was better off remembering a thousand years as opposed to 12 weeks, I still didn't like that I'd forgotten _**anything**_.

Memories first. Skipping later.

The video was playing for the third time before I stopped thinking of myself as Jan… And I'd just started watching it a fourth time when Sookie and Pam returned.

They both entered the study with questioning looks on their faces.

Pam asked, "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Do you remember…?"

"I remember everything from being turned to New Year's Eve…" Sookie's eyes began to well. "I believe this though."

Both replied in unison, "Really?"

I nodded. "Truly… Sookie, is your offer to let me stay with you still good?"

She tilted her head inquisitively. "Sure."

I closed my laptop and stood up. "Thank you. Pam, send out the message to your population. Let them know that you've cured Shreveport's cancer and that I am still missing. Don't offer a reward."

"You said that you'd relieve me once you have your memory back."

"I still don't remember anything of the time I was in Bon Temps. I need some time to recalculate my options… Join us in a few days once you're on solid ground. Keep me posted."

"You'll be doing what exactly?"

"Jogging my memory until I'm discovered."


	3. Chapter 3

**Death's Door**

**Chapter 3**

**How To Build A Better Mousetrap**

Unsettled debts had never been something I ignored. Even exchanges were my preferred method of barter.

It wasn't as though I was 'too honorable'… I was just pragmatic enough to know that unfinished business always resurfaced at the wrong time… usually making me regret having needed a favor to begin with.

Trying to remember my lost 12 weeks seemed to be as good an excuse as any to get access to Sookie's life and repay her in spite of her refusals. After all, my amnesia allowed a few nights of leeway.

Sookie fell asleep against the window of my SUV shortly after we left my house. Better, perhaps, since I was fuming about the news that my Corvette disappeared from Fangtasia and had never been recovered. The idea that it had been sold piece by piece to subsidize Hallow's coven… six fucking figures worth of patchouli, wolf's bane and eye of newt…

It was easy to tell that Sookie was still not well. Her mood didn't seem affected, but she was prone to chills from her waxing and waning fever, and her heart rate was erratic… all the more impressive given that she'd been party to the siege on Fangtasia.

I was disappointed that I needed to wake her, but Bon Temps had never been more than a highway exit to me before.

She sleepily giggled her apology for not thinking I'd need directions since I'd been living there for so long.

There was a long silence that I didn't mind and it was only broken by a series of long yawns.

Her pitted driveway was bad enough that it could've given _me_ whiplash and it easily made its way to my list of steps to take toward repaying the favor of her care. From the street to our stopping point in front of her house, I barely took my eyes from the way her body bounced in her seat next to me.

I was only distracted from appreciating Pam's choice of clothing for Sookie by the way she groaned. It wasn't the type of groan I would've preferred…

Following her line of sight, I saw that there was an old truck already parked and a man pacing on her porch with a cell phone to his ear.

"Is he a threat?"

She slumped in her seat. "No. That's Sam Merlotte. He's my boss. He's probably worried about me since I never call in sick."

"You _are_ sick though."

"I was well enough to participate in a revolution last night. _I was playing hooky today_… and he's not big on Vampires."

"I'm not looking for fans."

She huffed and reached for the door handle. "Neither is he."

"Then perhaps you could exaggerate your health. It'll give us a reason to not let him stay."

She stared at me for a moment before she gave a slight nod. "It's worth a try… what'll we tell him?"

"We'll play it by ear."

When I lifted Sookie from her seat, her boss ran towards us, "Jesus Sookie! What happened to you?"

I answered for her. "She's suffering from exhaustion. She collapsed last night and needed medical attention." Even if Pam was the one to administer the health regimen.

It seemed like his scent reached me at the same moment mine reached him. Shifter. Vampire. Lovely. He stopped in his tracks and gaped as I walked past him to the front door. "Who the hell are you?"

"Jan." Sookie turned her face into my neck so that her amusement could be hidden under a phony yawn.

"How do you know Sookie?"

"I'm an old friend of Adele's. Do you mind opening the door so that I don't have to put her down?"

He scowled, but he took Sookie's key from her. "How do you know Adele then?"

"There was a time when Adele and I were… _very close_." Sookie snorted and turned it into a bogus cough.

"Adele… Adele Stackhouse?" I nodded as I stepped into the house and took a moment to note how fucking bizarre it was to not need an invitation.

Sookie sighed, "Jan and I go way back." We did. Almost three _whole_ months.

The Shifter shook his head. "Jan huh? You look a lot like that Sheriff who went missing."

He followed as I took Sookie to the living room and set her on the sofa. "I've heard."

"If you're an 'old friend' of Adele, then why is it that I haven't seen you around?"

"Don't you mean _smell me_ around?" His mouth opened again, I had to assume that he hadn't told Sookie what he was, but I didn't give him the chance to reply… I weighed my options and hoped the bathroom, more specifically the medicine cabinet, was down the dark hallway. Luckily, I found what I'd been looking for. Even though they were meant for 'senior citizens' the vitamins in the bathroom were better than nothing. I hadn't needed to look for a blanket since there was already an old quilt spread over the end of the bed in the bedroom along the way and I returned to Sookie, almost proud of myself for thinking to get a glass of water.

She grinned, letting me wrap the quilt around her shoulders and taking her pills and water. "Thanks… _Jan_."

Sam growled, "Jan. Jan what?"

"Jan VanLuik."

"Jan Vanook? What kind of name is that?"

"VanLuik. It's an uncommon Dutch variation of the Belgian municipality of Liège. In America, it's pronounced Van Loo-Ick. It simply means 'from Liège'. Your turn."

"My turn to what?"

"Provide a history of your name."

"Why?"

"Because you seem to be testing me. It only seems fair."

"You're telling me that you aren't the asshole Sheriff of Area 5? Eric Northman."

"Unless I've managed to _somehow_ forget that I'm part of the Vampire power structure, which I find unlikely…"

Sookie cut me off by snickering. "You two stop… Sorry I missed my shift, Sam. Can I get you something to drink?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You stay where you are. I'll take care of it."

It wasn't as though I made a habit of playing butler, but I wanted an excuse to go back into the kitchen.

When I came back, I set a bowl of water on the coffee table in front of Sam and took my place next to Sookie… _on the sofa I'd never sat on, but still smelled like me._

Sookie gave me a confused look when she noticed the stack of bills and phonebook in my lap and ignored that Sam was growling over his water dish… _I'd put ice in it and everything._

I'd barely sat down before a cat jumped onto the back of the sofa and began rubbing her face against mine. She purred enthusiastically and licked the side of my neck… the cat clearly remembered me.

Sookie giggled weakly, "Tina missed you."

"What can I say? I'm a pussy magnet."

Sookie blushed and nodded to the assortment of envelopes on my lap. "What are you up to?"

"I'm making sure that missing a few days of work doesn't cost you more than a few tips… Would you like some privacy? Tina and I can go to another room."

She cut her eyes from my 'project' to my face. "No. You're… you're fine."

I put my hand on the back of her neck, giving her another chill and making Tina jealous enough to bite my other hand. "Your fever is back. Can you take more medication so soon?" She'd only taken a 'fever reducer' that Pam had given her an hour earlier.

"No. I'll take a cool bath in a bit though. That'll help… So, Sam… What's up?" She never took her eyes off of my hands as I pulled the first bill out of the envelope and paid the phone bill.

He stuttered, "I… I… Arlene said someone called last night because they found you really sick."

"Yeah. He took me to Shreveport. They kept me overnight. I'm fine though."

"You work too hard."

While I listened to phone prompts for the power bill, I offered, "Not for long. She's cutting back her hours drastically."

He cocked his head to the side… _like I made his favorite toy squeak_. Cute. "Oh really? Does **she** know that?"

"She doesn't need two jobs any longer. If I had my way, she wouldn't work at all, but she's choosing which position to quit." She raised her eyebrow.

He snapped, "Who the hell are you to say…?"

"Jan. Van. Luik. We've met. I've seen monkeys with better memorization skills..."

"You know what I'm talking about. Why should she quit either of her jobs? You don't own her."

"Do you enjoy that she worked 90 hours last week?"

"No."

"Then perhaps you'd like to reconsider your position. As her friend, you should discourage her from working until she needs to be treated for exhaustion."

He nodded towards the mail in my lap. "And what's she gonna have to do to repay you?"

"Shelter me, clothe me, feed me." Sookie giggled, knowing the debt was already paid in full…

Sam was not as amused. "You son of a bitch! Sookie's a good girl! She doesn't need your Vampire shit…!"

"Vampires don't shit."

"You know what I mean…"

"We also don't piss on trees."

"Look asshole…!"

"Or turn around several times before lying down…"

He stood up to loom over me as I ignored him to enter my card number to pay her brother's old power bill and toss the bill into the fireplace for kindling later. "You've got no right!"

"I'm waiting for you to make a rational argument… Is this common etiquette? Visit an ailing friend to argue with someone trying to care for them?"

"NO!"

"Then sit down." When he did, I let myself laugh, "Good boy."

When my laughter seemed to piss him off again, Sookie laid her head on my shoulder and cooed, "Sam, I know you're a Shifter. Stop making yourself an easy target."

Judging by the look on his face, he was lucky to already be sitting. "How?"

"When I started working at the service station, I met a Wolf. His mind is just like yours. He was actually honest about what he is…"

"Sook… I'm sorry… I just…"

"I'm over it. I was bitter at first, but I have more on my plate than worrying about why you'd hide it …" Sookie was interrupted by the sound of another vehicle bouncing up her driveway. "….I get it. It only hurt because you know what I am." She lifted her head and looked at me. "Am I allowed to answer the door?"

"No."

When I got up, she snatched the bills from where I set them on the coffee table and put them under her… as though that could discourage me.

Tina followed me to the foyer and paced between my ankles while I opened the door. The young female Were staring back at me managed to look puzzled without tilting her head like a cliché. "Um… Is… Is Sookie here?" The child on her hip tilted his head up to stare and the expectant grin on his face diminished.

I nodded. "She is."

"Is she alright? She wasn't at work today. Either job…" She stopped herself, like she'd decided not to say what was on her mind. "Shit. Sorry. I just didn't know Sook has any Vampire friends. And… Well, I smelled Shifter on the porch here…"

"She has a couple of 'Vampire friends'… She's not well. Fever and exhaustion… The Shifter you smelled is her boss…"

"Ew… Merlotte? _Yeah_… I uh… Tray told me she was under the weather… This works, you answering the door and all… tell her Becky stopped by and I'm not talking to her. Give her this please."

I took the basket from her hand and Tina stopped pacing to hiss at it. It was full of conflicting odors. Food items. "How were you planning to give her the silent treatment when you came to see her?"

"She'll know what it means… Are you tending to her or just visiting?"

"I'll be here for a few nights."

"Good, good… Just a tip, she's a mule, that one. You might have to sit on her to make her take it easy."

"Thank you."

"Tell her I'll be by to not talk to her tomorrow."

I almost laughed. "I'll do that."

As she turned to leave, the tot argued, "See Sookie."

"Sorry Nate, Sookie's sick."

"Sookie sick? Like me?"

Becky grumbled, "Yes sir… Probably _**just like you were**_."

I followed her to her car, accidentally startling her. "Since you know how stubborn she can be…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm at a loss when it comes to groceries. Would you mind? If I took her shopping…"

"God knows she'd make you want to roll in silver by the time you're done… yeah, yeah. No problem. She'll kick my ass though…"

"Not when you tell her that I _threatened_ your boy."

"What? My boy?"

I nodded towards Nate as I pulled out my wallet. "Of course. If you don't go shopping for healthy groceries for Sookie, then he'll have to suffer without his favorite snack."

She giggled and took the cash from me. "You'd better not tell her where you're resting for the day. That'll get you a broken nose… I'll be back tomorrow."

As I returned to my seat, Sookie waited for news of the visitor that left without entering. I quickly slid my hand under her ass, pinched her and took back the bills. She squeaked, but I didn't give her the chance to argue. "Becky isn't talking to you."

She smiled as she looked through the care package and called her a 'mother hen'.

Sam huffed when he smelled the Were on the basket, "So you've got Vampires and Wolves crawling all over the place now."

She sighed, "Seems like it."

"Nice company."

"_**I**_ think so."

"Weres are freaks. You need to watch your ass…"

"_Jan_, can I uninvite Shifters with attitude problems?" I was sure she already knew the answer.

"No, but I can take him outside and pull his head off."

"Echhhh. _Messy_… Sam, thanks for stopping by and all, but you're being a jerk about my friends and I'm not up to arguing with you about it."

"Sookie, what are you doing with him?" One thing could be said for the Shifter… at least he had the balls to be an asshole to my face.

"I'm sitting on the couch, hoping Jan doesn't take advantage of me being too sick to resist having the roof redone."

Fabulous idea. When I smirked, she grabbed the phone book from my lap and tossed it into the fireplace.

"That would've been more effective if there was an actual fire burning."

She crashed her head into my shoulder and snickered.

Sam didn't seem to care that Sookie wasn't regarding me with any fear, but it was almost all I could think about. "Fine. I can't get anything outta you… Y'all have fun. I'm gonna hope the next time I see you that you aren't a Vampire."

Sookie snorted, "K. I'm gonna hope that you get your head out of your ass."

"You don't know what they're capable of, you **stupid** kid!"

Without warning, Sookie lurched forward to grab a candlestick from the coffee table and threw it at his head…

There were speckles of blood on his shirt before the candlestick shattered against the floor. "Get out!"

He fingered the gash in his forehead and scowled at her. "You little shit! This is how you act when someone worries about you!?"

"No! I usually ignore their paranoia and do whatever the hell I want anyway. _**That**_ is how I act when someone calls me stupid. Screw you, Sam Merlotte."

"You're letting a Vampire pay your bills! You have no idea what he's going to want in return!"

"Jan's such a big scary Vampire, he could glamour me anyway."

"If you know that then…?"

"Jan is more welcome here than you are. He practically lives here and he can do whatever he wants. End of story. Get out."

"I want to talk to you alone. UN. IN. VITE him!"

"No! You don't own me! You don't get to boss me around!"

"He doesn't own you either, but he can still control you!"

She struggled to get to her feet and grabbed the candlestick's mate. "Get out or you're gonna regret it. I'll put some ass behind the next pitch."

Her heart was racing and she was short of breath… he'd upset her past his worth.

His posture straightened when I stood up. Amusing at best. "You've become an outside pet. Let's go. Don't make me roll up a newspaper."

"Go fuck yourself. I'm not leaving you with her!"

"You don't have a choice…"

"I can't be uninvited!" He said it as though he wanted to punctuate the remark by saying 'nanny nanny boo boo'.

I moved quickly enough that he didn't see anything before one of my arms was pinning his to his sides and the other had pulled his legs up to keep him from kicking… And started walking for the door. "Magic notwithstanding, you can still be banished from a home, pooch."

He struggled in vain as I carried him to the door. As soon as I got there, I realized the flaw in my plan… I needed another hand. Fortunately, Sookie had followed and turned the knob, swinging the door open for me.

He was lucky that he'd left his window open so that I could toss him through the opening instead of through the glass. He bounced into the floorboard of his truck and was still fighting to right himself when I issued his warning. "Leave. Don't return. If I smell you anywhere near this piece of property, what's left of Longtooth and Hotshot will be offered a mint to bring your head to me."

I closed the door behind me as Sam's truck dug into the already suffering gravel… Sookie cringed with her hands on her curvy hips. "I'm sorry. He's been a jerk to me for months. Rejection doesn't look good on him."

"_Ahhh. A jilted lover_."

"Pshhh. He wishes. We were friends for a long time, but he started being a real pain in my ass when our only date didn't go like he planned. Such is the landslide. This is where we've been for a while. He freaking smells me when I come in from my other job. Creep."

"I've smelled you."

"Because I smell different. Not because you're smelling for other Supes." She made her way back to the sofa, wrapped herself in the quilt again and slumped over.

"You promised that you'd take a cool bath, not insulate your already elevated body temperature."

She blew a raspberry. "Thanks _Dr. Northman_, but…"

"We can play doctor once you're health improves if you'd like."

"I bet."

"Take your bath before your fever worsens."

"You're like a tall, beefy version of Gran… Don't be such a bully. I don't feel well."

"You're a tempting, curvaceous crybaby with thighs made for snacking from. Don't be such a whiner. You don't want to see what I'm like when I'm being a bully."

She gasped and covered her head with the quilt and mumbled, "I just saw you carry a grown man and toss him like a sack of potatoes. I'm pretty sure that was _**bully behavior**_."

"So you know that I only have so much patience."

"It's a shame you don't remember Gran. I'm sure she warned Jan that I'm pretty stubborn."

"As much was mentioned in the video."

She grumbled from her hiding place. "There you have it then."

"I suppose so."

She squealed and kicked from the moment she realized that I'd picked her up. From her wrapping, Sookie fought strong enough that I almost lost my grip on her on my way to the bathroom.

Her feet were still flailing as I set her in the bathtub and took the blanket off of her.

Sookie clenched her fists to complete her ensemble of pouty lips and narrowed eyes.

She breathlessly started, "You big…!" but she stopped herself and stepped onto the side of her bathtub, giving herself a slight height advantage to restart her tirade. "You big bully! I just got done defending you! Refusing to uninvite you! And then you toss me into the tub like… like a big brute!"

"Are you done?"

"No. I'm. Not. You don't get to do this! You're my guest! Not my keeper!"

I waited a moment... "Now?"

"Yes!"

"Nice touch, _standing on the tub_… I was almost scared."

She tried, I'll give her that, she tried to continue her nasty glare, but she couldn't hold back… She stepped down and shoved my shoulders, laughing, "You were not!"

"I said 'almost'. Take your bath."

"You just want to go through my bills."

"I've already proven that I'm not shy about doing that in front of you."

She groaned, "Do you always get your way?"

"Usually. Would you like some help undressing?"

She shook her head, pretending that she wasn't blushing. "I think I can manage."

"Wash your back?" _Tongue bathe your thighs…?_

She raised her eyebrow. "You're unintived from my bathroom, perv."

"It doesn't quite work that way."

"Oh well. Shoo anyway."

"Shoo?"

"Vamoose. Depart. Scram. Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya. Make tracks. Skedaddle… GÅ BORT."

"I'm starting to think you don't want me around."

She giggled and stepped onto the side of the tub again to kiss my cheek. "Go on. You have snooping around you want to do anyway."

For the next half hour I paid every bill I could find and arranged to have the driveway 'repaired' posthaste.

I went back to the bathroom, only leaning in to ask a question while she showered, but I was met with a wall of steam. "How is that supposed to help your fever?"

She shrieked, "You didn't knock!"

"You didn't answer my question."

"I'm washing. I have this thing… I don't like soaking when… **What do you want?**"

"Do you prefer a compact or is it just what you could afford at the time?" Her car was appalling. Good taste aside, that 'vehicle' had no less than one tire in the proverbial grave.

"Not answering."

"You'll answer or I'll surprise you."

The towel draped over the shower curtain rod disappeared and it only took her a second to wrap the towel around herself, shove open the curtain and advance... She stopped with her chest against mine. "Stop."

"I don't have to. Just because Jan…"

"Stop. I'm putting my foot down. You can either stop or I will actually uninvite you. I don't want it. I don't expect it. What the hell do you think you're going to accomplish by buying me things?"

"Thank you properly."

"The best way for you to thank me is to respect my wishes."

"You were dependable when no one else could be trusted. The least I can do…"

"You repaid me _**and**_ my Gran for the damn True Bloods and then some with the phone bill if that's what you're worried about. You don't owe me anything else."

"If it hadn't been for you and Adele, I'd be quite dead. Without knowing who put me in a position to not have a memory, I'd have exposed myself. Everything I have is yours."

"Fine. I'll let you know if I need any of it. Until then, stop."

"I already chose a new car for you… I was simply looking for validation of my selection." I could order it quickly enough while she was finishing in the bathroom.

"No you didn't. If you lie to me, you're outta here too."

"Why would you accuse me of lying?"

"I can't read your thoughts, but your mind was doing the same busy, twisty thing as it was when you were double-talking to spin Sam up. Let me guess, you were about to call to buy me a car, but thought better of it because it isn't a compact."

I smiled, wholly impressed with her pluck and sagacity. "Actually… I was about to call… I thought better of it because it _**IS**_ small like your Civic."

"That's sweet, but I don't want your money or anything it'll buy me. Now… stop smiling at me when I'm naked." She grabbed my arm and I let her push me through the door and slam the door behind me.

I could practically feel her leaning against the other side of the closed bathroom door. "Then you're open to the idea of having a chauffeur… the car would still be mine, yes?"

She growled and hit the door while I laughed…

After sweeping up the broken glass from Merlotte's visit, I used the ample pile of now paid bills to build a fire in the fireplace and tried to find something to watch on Television only to discover that Sookie had as few channels as she did movies.

With nothing else to do while I listened to the water drip, and refusing to let myself envy every drop of water that got to be in the tub with Sookie, I took the copy of Crime and Punishment from the pie-crust table…

Printed recently and overdue by two weeks, the library book reminded me that Jan suggested making a donation to the library in Adele's name. I had the thought that Sookie might condone the expense, if not offer some ideas on tactics.

Doing my best to not move the book any more than necessary to avoid the grating sound of the cellophane covering, I scanned through the story quickly while absentmindedly letting Tina put my idle hand to use…

Marmeladov had just been run over by the carriage and when I turned the page, I found a bookmark…

A simple strip of hide… if I had to guess, I'd have said deer, but there was no animal scent left. It smelled of aloe and lanolin…

And I could imagine too vividly seeing it worked and rubbed between aged fingers like a worry stone…

I'd seen it.

Adele Stackhouse, sitting in the tapestry chair across from where I was resting… crocheted throw over her legs by the fire, reading and manipulating the pliable strip of leather between her fingers while she read…

"…_Adele, are you anxious about something?"_

_She looked up at me and then to her hand when I nodded towards it. "Oh this? I don't even realize I do it. I wear 'em out… My husband started it as a joke because I frayed the ribbons I used to use. My boy kept it up and then Jason…" She stopped at his mention and her eyes welled before she forced her thoughts away from him. "They start out rough and stiff, but by the time they'd bring me another one, they're like butter."_

Her eyes… her smile… her ease…

It was small.

It was brief.

A little piece, only a moment, of a much larger puzzle…

But it _**was**_ a memory…

And I caught myself toying with the poignant souvenir while I remembered the scene over and over, trying in vain to push the bounds of the conversation.

I'd only gone to the bathroom to check on Sookie once I realized that she'd been in the tub for more than an hour.

She'd fallen to sleep…

And my view couldn't have been better…

She was so still that the water barely moved with her gentle breathing… the cool water had made her little pink nipples draw up and stand above the water level… like little periscopes.

I quietly closed to lid on the commode and took a seat, prepared for an exciting show of indignation when I woke her.

"_Soooookie._"

Still mostly asleep, she purred, "Yeah?" I dipped my hand into the water to test it and it was cool to _my_ touch. I was surprised her teeth weren't chattering. "Would you like some company?"

"You wouldn't fit in this tub." _Talking in her sleep?_

"We could try and if it doesn't work, I could have a bigger one installed tomorrow." An amused little grin crossed her lips as she rolled over, resting her elbows on the back of the tub to use them as her pillow. The new view of her ass was just as tempting as her nipples had been… and the gap between her thighs… and the way her ass buoyed in and out of the water… and contour between her small waist and curvy hips...

"You're bad." _And suddenly starving…_

"I know. I'm also bored."

"I have a deck of cards. You can play solitaire."

"Since I'm naked too, we can play poker for sex acts." If reminding her that she was nude didn't rouse her, maybe the thought of being nude _with me_ could…

"That wouldn't be fair."

"I promise to not cheat."

Her giggle echoed off of the tub water, making it sound musical. "I meant because our pots are lopsided. I don't even know if I'm a good kisser… I'm sure you've had plenty of time to perfect more than a few techniques."

"I wouldn't hold that against you."

"How very magnanimous of you, Sheriff."

"Then it's settled. Wake up and entertain me."

I couldn't have taken my eyes from her body if I tried… She rolled over, her eyes still closed as she pushed herself to a sitting position and stretched her arms out… What I wouldn't have given for a video of that… arching her back until her nipples begged to be adored, pinched, bitten…

The slight heart attack she may or may not have had when her eyes finally opened notwithstanding, I was too enthralled to move an inch.

She gasped suddenly enough that she choked as her hands grappled to yank the shower curtain over her body.

"Eric! Oh. My. _**God!**_" That was a pleasant start. "You… You're… I'm… **What do you want!?**"

"I've been here for a while. I used boredom as an excuse to check on you."

"While I'm naked!?"

"Would you be more comfortable if I removed my clothes?"

She gasped again. "No!"

"Then what are you waiting for? Get out of the tub. You agreed to playing cards for sexual favors."

"_**I. DID**_. _**NOT**_… wait… Was I talking in my sleep?"

"I can't be sure… You don't have cable. You don't have many books… unless you're hiding a Twister mat…"

"You can't hold me to something I said while I was sleeping."

"Then you need to think of another way to entertain me… I'd be fine with poker for…"

She put her hands up to stop me, dropping the shower curtain and then scowling as though it was my fault.

"It's a little late for the curtain, don't you think? I'll wait in the living room."

I hadn't been waiting long when Sookie stomped into the living room carrying a flashlight. She'd covered her body from her chin to her toes; hooded sweatshirt, flannel pajama pants, thick socks…

She tossed the flashlight onto the sofa next to me and began rooting around in the bottom of the hall closet. "Adding layers for strip poker?"

She giggled, "I'm a lot of things, but I'm not dumb enough to spend any amount of downtime next to a roaring fire with you and a deck of cards."

"I'm offended, Sookie…"

"No you're not."

"The video didn't mention how cheeky you are."

She grunted as she pulled a rubber boot on. "Pam didn't warn me that you'd start flirting as soon as we're alone. I guess we're even."

"So then, what are we doing?"

"We're going to go for a walk…"

"A walk? A quiet romantic walk?"

She nodded towards Tina who was happily lying across my lap. "As long as your girlfriend doesn't mind, we're going to walk over to the old Compton place. That's where you were dying for the day. I think it might jog your memory."

"We could do that here. I already miss your nipples."

"I'm going to just assume that 3 months is a long time for you… but if I can last as long as I have, you'll manage." Three months wasn't a 'long time', it was _unprecedented_, but I was relatively certain that I'd have a reaction to her regardless of a 'dry spell'.

"How long _has it been_ for you, Sookie?"

She huffed, "Years," while grabbing the flashlight and a package from the basket Becky left and started for the door.

I let her get half way to the cemetery before I caught up to her. "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to believe that. Is Bon Temps full of Sam Merlottes?"

She finished chewing a mouthful of some sort of sandwich before answering. "The world is."

"Care to elaborate?"

"No."

"You're being… I suppose the word would be frigid."

"Uh oh. That's gotta be bad… for a Vampire to call me frigid."

"You were more good-natured in the video… more sociable."

She shrugged and took another bite of her snack to delay answering. "You're just here to try and get your memory back. No point in complicating things by being friends. You'll be going back to your life when you remember what you missed." I had to assume that she was operating under the belief that I could ignore what she'd done for me.

"I suppose then that you aren't at all curious about what made Eric and Sookie seem so content to be a couple."

"Maybe a little… but… her life hasn't fallen apart. We're on a different page I guess."

"They all are from what I can gather… you've met 2 versions of yourself who were Mine. Both of them told you about other versions of reality where they're together."

"And there's versions of me who were with some guys I've never heard of and even Sam… I'm not sure that curiosity is enough."

"Would it sway you at all to know that I'm very curious?"

She snorted, almost choking on her food. "Tell you what, why don't you run up to Waller's Inn and find yourself a date… You'll probably come to your senses once you've scratched that itch."

"Do you really think so little of yourself? Do you really think that my interest in the creature that saved my 'life' would be strictly sexual?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Then what would you like to talk about?"

She stumbled through some overgrown weeds. Once she corrected herself, she huffed, "I dunno… While I was in the tub, did you trigger anything or did you just pay bills until you decided to be creepy?"

"Creeps lurk. I spoke as soon as I entered the room. You responded coherently. And yes, actually… I remembered part of a conversation with Adele. She explained her bookmark."

Her eyes lit up when she looked at me, anything but apathetically. "Really? That's… _it's something_, right? Have you remembered why Tina was molesting you yet?"

"No… Do you know?"

She nodded. "I know a few things… I got them from Gran's head. I'll tell you if you want, but I think it'll be more legit for you to learn on your own…" When she stumbled again, she dropped what was left of her sandwich and complained that the raccoons didn't deserve Becky's homemade bread.

I chuckled, reminding her that there were more sandwiches in the care package and picking her up.

"I don't need you to carry me. I'm not a baby."

"No. You're a Human weakened by a fever. I'd hate for you to get hurt running an errand for my benefit."

She groaned, but stopped arguing.

The flooring buckled under every step we took. The house was so ramshackle that it was hard to believe that a Human inhabited it less than a year earlier.

Sookie opened a closet door only to stir several moths when the door fell from the hinges. She laughed at herself for shrieking and took a moment to catch her breath. "We thought Jesse Compton died of old age…"

"And now?"

"Well, now… I think he was eaten alive by termites and earwigs… Either way, I'm glad I wasn't over here while you were still cursed."

"Why is that?"

"Well, I… we have spare bedrooms. I wouldn't have wanted you staying here. This place is horrible."

I looked up at the sagging ceiling. "I don't think there's much that can be done for it… It's a shame too. Perhaps there's an Extreme Makeover, Vampire Edition."

She laughed, "It would be easier to demolish it and start over with the same plans."

"It's an impressive house. At least 300 years old… Is there a local contractor that could handle the restoration?"

She shrugged and raised an eyebrow as she strolled past me and into the parlor. "You're the one with the phonebook."

"I didn't know if maybe you have friends that need the work."

She sighed as she ran her finger over the brittle wallpaper. "No… _not construction_. Most of my friends are waitresses and mechanics. You don't want to buy this place anyway… You have a life in Shreveport to get back to."

I wandered in the other direction, towards where the kitchen would be. "In theory. Watch your step. I don't trust the flooring."

She quickly caught up to me. "What does that mean? 'In theory'? You promised Pam…"

"I'm simply weighing my options."

"Options?"

"Don't worry your pretty little head over it. As you said, 'no point in complicating things by being friends'."

She huffed, clearly about to bicker, but a small nutria scurried across the floor between us and she yelped and leapt onto the counter. "I. Hate. That. You. Lived. Here!"

I backed up to her, offering to carry her. She instantly latched onto me, wrapping her legs around my waist. "I've stayed in less luxurious places. Believe me."

"I've seen your house… _for God sakes, Eric_, the sheets in your guest room cost more than my car!"

"I was born well before Egyptian Cotton sheets were available online. Look at it this way… that little rodent saved us from looking for my resting place under the house."

She buried her face against my back as I walked towards the stairs and whimpered, "How?"

"Nutria are water-lovers. If there was one inside that means under the house is too wet for me to rest there. The stench of mildew alone…"

She giggled, "Ok, so we're going upstairs… _You had to have lied to Gran_. She wouldn't have let you stay here if she knew."

"We can't be sure." Adele had been as far as the parlor. I could smell that much, but there wasn't any way to be sure of her reasons. It could've been as simple as wanting to protect Sookie from me. It could've been something I suggested.

When we reached the second level, I offered to set Sookie down, but she held fast and said that she was fine as long as my back held out.

As soon as I started climbing the stairs to the third floor, Sookie shook her head. "You don't want to look around on this floor?"

"The house is old, built during slavery, yes?"

"Yeah. Gran has a parish record. 1740s, I think."

"The second floor is where the family would have lived. Wardrobes were used more often than closets and all of the rooms have windows… The third floor is where the house servants were housed. The butler, the mam, the cook… slaves kept on hand. There weren't any third level windows that I noticed."

"Good God. It's a wonder how they didn't bake to death in the summer."

"The _actual_ wonder is why they didn't start escaping to cooler climates before the 1850s."

"No joke. I have a window unit and I think about snow-birding."

"Snow-birding?" Before my foot fell on the top step, I found my resting place. I couldn't help but be surprised. Old habits must _**truly**_ die hard. The dependable defensive measures that I'd used hundreds of times before had been hiding in the recesses of my thoughts… I'd even taught Pam to pull up the floorboards at the threshold of a temporary resting place and rearrange them unevenly to give out if they were stepped on as a deterrent to would be intruders.

"Oh, it's kind of a joke… maybe a fairy tale… People talk all the time about retiring and splitting their time between the north during the summer and south during the winter… to get the mildest of the seasons. You never hear about anyone who actually gets to do it though."

"Pam has her own version of that. Instead of pleasant seasons, I lose her for February and October to her quest for 'ultimate couture'. New York, Milan, Paris, London… Come to think of it, I doubt she indulged this spring. She might need a shopping vacation for therapy."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Next October might cost more than usual, but I think having you back is all the therapy she needs right now. I think she's hurt that you came back to Bon Temps with me. She missed you. A lot."

"If she doesn't recognize that I want _all of my memories back_, then I'll explain it to her in more detail. She'd be less troubled if I hadn't left her to act as Sheriff."

"Y'all have been together for a long time though… And you just took off with some strange Human."

"Pam and I have been together as long as we have because she does understand me though. She'll be fine. If she isn't, I'm sure I'll hear about it."

She nodded, but didn't reply.

I'm not sure if Sookie noticed that I hadn't stepped on the planks of wood that might have given way without being disturbed. She seemed perfectly content to keep her forehead nestled against the nape of my neck…

Once completely in the room, I moved to set her down, but she gripped more tightly.

I chuckled, "Not that I'm complaining, but there's nothing in here but a few mice."

She took a deep breath as though she was bracing herself before she loosened her grip and let me lower her to the floor.

She set the flashlight on the floor to reflect off of the ceiling and stood next to me, taking in the crude surroundings. Not the crudest I'd ever wallowed in, but rudimentary nonetheless.

There was a large plastic storage container set in the corner with three library books stacked on top of it… a large garbage bag next to it that looked like it had been used and reused… and a perimeter of primitive mousetraps set around an area large enough for me lay out.

Nothing more.

Sookie whispered, "Eric?"

"Yes?"

"Anything?"

"Nothing comes to mind. Why are we whispering?"

She snickered and walked over to the storage container. She looked over the books before tucking them between her knees. "It's a good thing Muriel forgave me for Gran's late fees."

"How charitable of her to mention it at all."

"I know right…" She opened the container and rifled through the contents. "Well, here's your 'dresser'… nothing but clothes. It's a shame you're so tall… Jason's got a house full of clothes he's not using." As she mentioned her brother, there was a slight echo in my thoughts.

I smiled at her. "Adele told me the same thing."

She smiled at me and tossed the books into the container to seal it again. "His pants might've fit in the waist, but… capris haven't crossed over for guys yet."

I chuckled, "Maybe there is a God."

She leaned over to untie the garbage bag, but shoved the opening closed no sooner than she cracked it… she gasped and gagged, covering her mouth. She wheezed, "Moth balls?"

"And what, _blankets?_"

She prodded the lump, unwilling to reopen the bag. "Seems like it."

I nodded. "The scent was strong enough to turn you away… imagine what it does to mice."

"Good Lord, Eric, with your senses how can you stand it?"

"Since I don't have to breathe, I don't have to inhale. I can avoid it for a few moments before I die… it would explain why I was adamant to bathe. I'd have numbed my sense of smell to be covered in the scent continually."

"No kidding. I might need another bath… these are going out on the line for a couple of days before I even try to wash that funk out of them." I was just hoping they weren't heirlooms because I was sure the blankets were ruined…

Her curiosity was doing my inspection for me. I watched her kneel to pick up one of the 20 True Blood bottles from the floor.

"Now, I wouldn't have figured that you'd be a slob."

I took one that wasn't as empty and handed it to her. She examined it and squeaked, almost dropping it when she realized what was in it… _and that it was looking at her._ I couldn't help but laugh, "Mouse traps."

She shoved it back into my hand. "What did you do, glamour them into the bottles?"

I shook my head and sniffed the bottle. "Peanut butter and molasses. Bait. I put the bottle on the edge of something, like this board, and when the mouse takes the bait and crawls into the back end of the bottle, the container stands up from the shift in mass. The mouse is trapped."

"Why not just kill them?"

"Because it makes a mess and they stink when they decompose like anything else does… both of which attract other pests. This way, they get a 'last meal'."

"Then what?"

I whispered in a syrupy tone, "Then I replace the lid and as the air runs out, they gently fall to sleep..." She covered her mouth to stifle how amused she was in spite of how gruesome the topic was. "No odor. I can just throw them out like normal garbage."

She snorted. "Jas would be bitter. When he gets out of jail, I'll have to tell him… He could use his empty SoBe bottles."

"Do I want to know why your brother would collect mice?"

"Bass fishing…" She got up and started screwing lids onto the bottles. "I've got this if you want to look around."

"I wouldn't have spent any time here. We can go… don't seal them all."

She smirked and stopped her task. "Why?" She asked as though she already knew the answer.

"Because my _girlfriend_ might be jealous if I don't take a gift back for her."

"Oh really? You expect me to let you take a mouse into my…"

"Why not? Adele never minded."

I'd have killed to see what could've possibly made Sookie's smile any wider… her eyes sparkled in spite of the minimal light in the room. She crooned, _"There ya go. You got it."_

I smiled back as I remembered Adele standing at the door to their mud porch, watching through the window as Tina enjoyed the activity of a 'hunt'. The woman was practically giddy because she was worried that being a 'lap cat' had made Tina lazy. "What did you get from your grandmother?"

Sookie was practically beaming, proud _of_ or _for_ me, I couldn't know which. "That the first few nights you brought one to her, you set them loose in the bathroom and closed the door, but then one squeezed out under the door, so Tina's 'hunting grounds' were moved to the mud porch… Then Gran moved the plant by the window because Tina came close to knocking it over looking for you to come over… I heard it when I asked why the plant got put on the coffee table. You told her that predators were meant to hunt, that keeping her bowl-fed would deny Tina's nature… It worried Gran that you wouldn't behave… that you'd get sick of True Bloods and need to hunt for a live donor…"

"I wouldn't have… I don't think I'd have…" I couldn't have been _**less**_ sure of how to explain.

"Bite the hand that fed you? She knew that. I never once heard her question her safety, _just yours_. She was worried when you started to get pale, ashen… she was close to giving you an address or two."

"Oh really? Who would she have served?"

"Oh, trust me, when you know everyone like Gran did, she'd have been able to give you a list of people no one would miss."

Sookie and I walked around to the back of her house so that the moth ball stench coming from the blankets wouldn't 'funk up' the house…

Tina had watched us come through the cemetery from her perch on the window sill and looked more crazed with every step we made… She bolted out of the window to meet us at the back door, scratching and meowing desperately by the time we came in. Sookie giggled and called me Tina's 'dealer'. I'd seen enough addicts at Fangtasia to know that Sookie wasn't far from the mark.

Sookie left me to release Tina's mice since we'd brought her two. By the time I went back inside, Sookie had put her care package items away and was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me.

She nodded towards the upstairs and led the way with a pair of quilts in her arms and ushered me into one of the rooms.

She sighed, "Even before I saw what it was like over there… ugh… call me a snob, whatever. Anyway, after Gran passed, I did as much as I could to not think about it… including setting up this room for you. When you finally approached me, you 'glamoured' me for True Bloods, I figured that you just felt safer that I didn't know about you… _anyway_… I'd raided Jason's linen closet. There's a black sheet over the window, two layers of canvas drop-cloth over that and his black comforter on top…"

"Thank you."

She closed the door to take a doll from the knob and lay its legs out to cover the gap at the floor. "That's a 'draft dodger doll'. We've had it so long, I don't know where it came from. It'll block out the light in the hallway… I know the bed is just a twin, but it's got to be better than laying on dryrotted wood…"

"Thank you."

She put the quilts on the bed and patted them. "Those are the heaviest ones I have, _well that don't stink of moth balls…_ I don't get much by way of company, but just in case, you should push the dresser to block the door…" She was rambling somewhat nervously.

"Sookie, thank you. Really. This was very considerate."

"You think it'll be enough? To keep the sun out? I sat in here when I did it. I felt blind… but I don't know how sensitive…"

"Sookie, it's perfect. Thank you."

"Are you sure. I mean, I hate for you to come back from being cursed by a freakin' Witch and end up dying from a sunburn."

"I'm positive."

She nodded and hung the doll on the doorknob again as she opened the door. "K. I'm spent… Make yourself at home. G'nite."

"Can I ask you something?"

She shrugged. "Sure."

"Will you tuck me in?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she turned to go downstairs.

I followed her, scooping her up before she got to the bottom of the stairs and putting her on her bed before she was done gasping. "You're right. You aren't well. _I'll tuck __**you**__ in_."

She gave me a level stare. "This isn't cool."

"What isn't?"

"This… I mean, you're macking on me while poor Pam gets stuck working in Shreveport?"

"I'm not sure what that has to do with anything."

"I'm not like that. You're sweet and sexy and all, but… I wouldn't want a jealous _**Human**_ to be gunning for me, let alone a jealous _**Vampire**_… Pam loves you."

It might've taken me more than a minute to realize what she was saying. "Sookie?"

"I'm sorry…"

"Sookie, Pam and I aren't a couple. We're a team. I'm her Maker. She's my child…" She might badger me like a dominant wife, but… no. No.

"You…?" She pushed herself up to lean against her headboard. "She… y'all have been together for centuries though… she was looking for you… she thanked me for helping you… she treated that other Sookie like crap! Human's are just cattle."

"We've been together so long because I'm her Maker…"

"You slept together last night!"

"We died on the same bed because it's the only light-tight room in my house."

"And other Sookies have ended up with other…"

"Yes, but there isn't a version yet where I was with Pam."

"Seriously?"

"I think I was too preoccupied with what _**I know**_ for it to occur to me that you might need a tutorial… Everything you know about Vampires, you learned _from…?_"

She sighed into her hands, "Gran's thoughts and Weres... Dammit." That was one less mystery to solve. Her ambiguity had been misled.

I kissed her forehead and left to turn off her light.

"Eric… _I assumed_… I'm such a **dunce**… I'm sorry."

"Get your rest. We'll start your lessons at sunset."


	4. Chapter 4

**Death's Door**

**Chapter 4**

**Atonement**

I could hear Sookie moving around downstairs. The smell of hot iron and food had wafted up to me in my room over the kitchen… the Sookie had so carefully sealed for me. Since Sookie was the only person in the house, it was promising that she seemed up to the task of cooking.

I'd just reached for my phone to check for word from Pam when Sookie let out a quiet giggle.

"Eric?"

I answered her twice at increasing volumes before I dialed her number instead of yelling.

"Hello?"

"Have you been saying my name at random intervals all day?"

"As a matter of fact, I have."

"Have you tried adding a prefix to my name? Something like, 'ohhhh' or 'more'…"

"No… thanks to the pavers, and my mysterious grocery delivery and maid service, the most common words used in proximity to your name have been 'fuck' and 'ass'."

"You want me to what?"

The call ended suddenly… she hung up on me to start laughing uncontrollably. She went on for a while and I only regretted not being in the room to see it.

She was still catching her breath when I redialed. She giggled, "You're awful."

"Good behavior is boring. How are you feeling tonight?"

"I'm really good actually. I woke up a couple times with a chill, but I took something and went back to sleep. I got up around noon when my fever broke. I took a shower and I've been good ever since."

"What maid service were you talking about?"

"Becky cleaned my house when she dropped off an ass ton of groceries."

"I'd think there are worse things than having a friend who cares enough to help. I didn't have her clean for you, if that's what you're wondering."

"Yeah. I was wondering about that, but I hadn't cussed about it yet…"

"So tell me, how is it that you knew I was conscious?"

"Your mind was a big calm void until just a minute ago… I felt your thoughts come to you. Kind of like a machine hums to life. How are you awake so early? The sun's still pretty high."

"I usually 'wake' an hour before sunset. Sometimes longer when the weather is right. It's not uncommon for older Vampires."

"That's cool… weird that I'm on the phone with you when you're just upstairs, but… Oh geez. Eric, I gotta hang up. I've got company."

"What kind of company?"

She whispered, "The kind that loves me to death, but looks pissed as hell. He's a Were so be careful about his hearing. K… hanging up."

She'd barely put the phone on the rocker again before there was the sound of belligerent pounding on the front door that she practically ran to answer.

"Hey Tray…"

A loud, deep, angry tone cut her greeting short, "Northman? Eric fucking Northman, Sheriff of Area goddamn 5?" I considered having my letterhead redone. I liked the way that rolled off the tongue… Or… I could just have 'Fucking' added as my legal middle name.

"What?" Sookie hadn't invited him, but I listened as he took a heavy step into the house to pace, seemingly frantically, in the foyer.

"Ohhhhh, don't you dare. Don't do that. I know you're way too fucking smart to even try getting away with playing dumb. What fucking business do you have with the Jimmy Hoffa of Vampires?" His tone left something to be desired, but sunlight aside, what kept me in my room was that he acknowledged that she wasn't a 'stupid kid'… Merlotte should've taken lessons from him.

"Come on. Now you're being melodramatic. Slow your damn roll and talk to me. _What about Eric Northman?_"

His pacing stopped. "So you're not denying that you know him?"

"No, of course not. _Not to you_."

"How? Why was he here last night?"

"Is this between me and my friend or me and the retired cop I work for?"

"This is between you and the fired up son of a bitch who can only fucking imagine how much help a telepath could be to a bunch of Vampires who need to slaughter a coven of vicious Wiccunts… _I know you, Sookie._ You're sweet to a fault and you help anyone. That's exactly why I know you can get taken advantage of… How fucking dirty are your hands?" I immediately texted 'wiccunts' to Pam. She'd appreciate it as much as I did.

"Not very."

His pacing started again, but it was somewhat calmer than before. "Specifics. Now."

"You know I can't do that. I'm gonna have to plead the Fifth… The important thing is that it's over. Hallow won't be killing any more people… she won't be ruining any more families…"

"NO! No! Tell me that's not why you got involved! If Becky lost you… If it weren't for you, she probably wouldn't be talking yet!"

"She's not the only reason, Tray. You can't stand there and tell me that you **ever** stood by and watched someone get hurt!"

"I was a fucking cop!"

"I might not have a gun, but you know mind reading can be useful from time to time. And calm down. It wasn't like that."

"What was it then?"

"I was helping someone I cared about… Like you did by asking me to talk to Becky."

"You know that was different. Those monsters were draining Vampires and tearing apart Wolves. Becky wouldn't have killed you."

"But you were looking out for her…"

"Yeah… and…"

"And now you're looking out for me."

"Yeah… Don't… _Don't you dare…_ no hug for you! You're scaring the shit out of me! Stop it…" I doubted she held any disrespect for him if she was forcing a hug on him... She hadn't as much as touched Merlotte.

Sookie laughed when he growled. "I'm fine, _Dad_. It all worked out."

His voice was more composed, less angry when he answered, "Baby doll, you're a good girl. I don't want to see anything bad happen to you."

"I know."

"You're not allowed to save the world again until I'm dead, got it? I have enough gray hair."

"I can swear that I won't do it again for at least another week."

He growled again, but it made her snicker. "Where was he? Why didn't he do something sooner?"

"He was out of contact… He'd left town and he didn't know until he got back." Well put, I thought.

"Sabbatical? You fucking kidding me? Shit. At least he took care of those bitches as soon as he found out. Everyone thought they'd got him too. That mother fucker wouldn't have taken that shit lying down."

"From what I gather, they just missed each other."

"No shit… So how do you know him? Did he scout you out because of your sonar?"

"No. He knew Gran."

"Gran? How the hell did your Gran end up rubbing elbows with a Vampire?"

"She… she wouldn't tell me."

There was a long pause before her friend started laughing insanely, hard and loud. I could barely hear her laughter under his. "Your… your… Gran was a… a Fangbanger! That's. Fucking. Priceless!" I bit my lip to keep from laughing at his theory… That was the priceless part.

"I prefer to think that she was taking care of him. You know, what're they called? The folks that run errands and do shopping for Vampires when they can't do it themselves?"

"A 'day guy'… I bet you would prefer that mental image! Sorry Doll, your Gran was a fox back in the day and I've seen Northman. I'd go gay for that pretty bitch."

"You've seen him? Hey. How did you know it was him?"

"He's been Sheriff for longer than I've been walking… When Becky said you had company, _described him_. Psshhhh… after more than 2 months of thinking he was 'good to the last drop' like most of the other Fangs in the Area, those bitches suddenly burned up and you're calling in sick the day it happens. It didn't take long to get there. I had Becky get his plate number when she came by earlier. Had an old friend run it."

"Who's the smarty of the party?"

"Yeah. That's me. What the fuck's up with the black top? Tell me he paid you for helping out."

"I'm telling ya, I didn't help out with the Witch thing really. But it _**was**_ him who did the driveway and apparently gave Becky money to fill my fridge since I'm under the weather… Opportunistic jerk jumped right on that when she came by last night…"

"If you didn't help with the bonfire, why are you getting the Daddy Warbucks treatment?"

"He says he owes Gran, so he's looking out for me. He hired a new lawyer for Jason when he found out about him too."

"It's not because you're a fine young thing that smells like candy and has an ability with epic potential, right?"

"No sir. It's because he's trying to repay Gran for something she did for him."

"Fine. While he's at it, he should replace your old locks and install motion activated lights for your yard… He lay a hand on you?"

"He carried me through the cemetery because I was having a hard time walking through the weeds in the dark."

"He feed from you?"

"Eric Northman has not fed from me…" I certainly hadn't. Jan was the lucky asshole to get that pleasure. "Wouldn't that constitute 'laying a hand' on me? Besides, I think I'd remember that."

"Not if he glamoured you."

"Can't be glamoured because of my telepathy. I asked to be glamoured so that I wouldn't know any of the details of what happened the other night. It didn't work."

He huffed. "You watch your ass, Sook. He had absolute control of his Area before his vacation. Other Vampires wouldn't bow to him if he was a Care Bear and bitches would shiv their sisters to be shit on by him. If he gets it in his head that he wants you, he won't take no for an answer."

"Don't do that. Don't make him sound like some savage rapist. There's a difference between that and being dominant and determined. You can't exactly begrudge him for being an Alpha-male, now can you?"

He growled again. "Fair enough, but..." Another point in Tray's favor. The more Sookie had tried to calm Merlotte, the more riled he became._ Tray could be reasoned with._

"But… you're telling me that Eric Northman is bad-ass enough that other Vampires don't fuck with him. I get it. You don't want to see me end up in the morgue because you love me."

"Like you're mine. I love you like my own kid. Don't fucking forget it. We have your back. Shit gets out of hand, you let me know."

"I promise, but don't lose any sleep over this. I couldn't be safer."

"Why is his car still here? He around?"

"Sort of."

"Alright. Gimmie some love so I can hit the road. If I meet the fucker in person I might offer him a blow job for executing those toxic twats."

Her laugh was muffled, followed by the sounds of patting. "I love you."

"Love you too. Give him a message for me?"

"Sure."

"They're calling it the 'Supe Alamo'. Tell Santa Anna I said 'gracias'."

"Will do. Don't confirm anything about Eric though. Let the guys assume it was him or whatever, but he isn't 'back' yet. K?"

"If you say so."

Dawson's truck was still driving away (very smoothly) when Sookie started climbing the stairs.

She leaned against the door and sighed. "You got your message?"

"I did."

"He gave me a couple of newspapers… Headlines called them a 'cult squatting in former night club'." That would be an amusing read.

"That was the Were, the one you mentioned last night who told you what he is?"

"Yeah. Tray Dawson. We joke and call him the UN-Packmaster because he ended up being the guy everyone went to… He bought the service station when he retired. Back in September, he was in Merlotte's for lunch one day and overheard a couple of old biddies gossiping about what was going on with Jason, that Gran had to mortgage the houses. He was waiting for me when the shift was over to offer me the second job. It started as piece work. Inventory and whatnot. He said I could have as many hours as I wanted and I wouldn't be stuck on my feet, getting my butt grabbed by drunks, and depending on tips… He's the closest thing to a Dad that I can remember, but that's his type. He looks out for people."

"And Becky is…?"

"His niece. Hallow killed her parents…"

"Was there a reason?"

"The pack sectioned off at first when Flood and his Lieutenants were murdered. Becky's dad was kind of top dog for a pretty big group of them. Hallow wanted to scatter the pack so they couldn't reorganize. Becky found her folks ripped apart and was traumatized enough that she wasn't talking at first. Hell, that was a couple weeks after you got here. I went and stayed with them for a few nights… all the poor thing thought about was either seeing her parents all torn up or that the last thing she did was tell her parents she hated them. They'd grounded her for leaving the pack when they went out for a run… She's a sweetheart. Calls me Sissy."

"Was Nate's father killed too?"

"Nate is Tray's. His ex-wife got scared when her sister was killed and gave him custody of both kids. It's better. She ended up dying too."

"How many of Longtooth are left?"

"I know of about 50 former members of Longtooth, but there's more floaters that gravitated out to the country to get out of the line of fire. But there's probably 40 orphans. Tray's scared they're gonna end up in state foster care. There aren't enough families to take them in. Most of the men were killed off."

"So the women are forced to work instead of raise their children, let alone reach out to strays."

"Yeah. That's about it… Hey, I was wrong when I said that talking to you on the phone was weird. This is worse. Talking to you through a wall kinda reminds me of visiting Jason. I'm gonna run downstairs and finish eating my dinner. K?"

"Call Dawson. Have him come back."

"What? Why?"

"Because as the Sheriff, I should get to know the Packmasters in my Area. I'll join you in just a few minutes."

I'd worked until I heard Dawson return. It hadn't taken long to get things in order. The hard part had been doing it all without letting anyone know I was 'back'.

Dawson had been leaning against the counter holding Nate when I walked into the kitchen, but he straightened his stance as quickly as his eyes bulged.

"Holy shit…"

"For the purposes of this conversation, you're meeting with Pam Ravenscroft who is acting as Deputy in my absence."

"Well… uh… _nice to meet you, ma'am_."

"Where are the children who were orphaned?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head, struggling with the shortage of small talk. "I… They've been farmed out to different families. Some were lucky enough to stay with family who knows what they're in for. I'm keeping tabs on 32 in temporary situations."

"Are the situations temporary because of finances?"

"Most. There's a few who it's just too much for. You know, small kids of their own and whatnot. The biggest thing is money. Extra kids means everything gets nickled and dimed. More groceries. Higher utilities. Needing more room, means paying more rent."

"There are condos vacant and complete in Riverwalk Quarter. Do you know it?"

"That new development by the country club?"

"That's the one. Have your foster parents complete job applications for themselves _and_ the children they're caring for…"

"Job applications for where?"

"They can get them from anywhere. It doesn't matter. They all have fields for relevant information. Name, date of birth, contact information, social security number… just collect them and pass them on to Sookie."

"Ok… what's the plan?"

"Place the families in need of more room in the condos to help their situation. There are 3 and 4 bedroom units… With the information they provide on the forms, leases will be established and I'll be able to 'hire' the foster parents in various positions in my companies. Officially, they'll be paid a salary based on how many children they're caring for. They'll be able to benefit from hospitalization and dental insurance. A trust will be established for the children to assist them with their university expenses. The offer stands for any widows as well."

He was breathing through his gaping mouth.

"Are there other families affected?"

Still no reply. I'd expected him to be surprised, not become a mongoloid.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket to read the perfectly timed text from Pam. "ROFLMAO. Wiccunts! Love it!" At least she hadn't lost her affection for slang and cursing.

Nate seemed to be waiting for his father to answer too, but he gave up to give me a toothy grin. "Hi."

"Hello. How are you?"

He put his hand up and when I mimicked him, he slapped mine. _"High fiiiiiive!"_

"And why do I get a high five?"

He screwed his smile even wider. "Dweeeeamscicles."

"What is a dreamscicle?"

"Is orange!"

"The color or the fruit?"

He didn't seem to be able to explain and twisted around to look at Sookie.

She smiled and smoothed her hand over his back as she walked past him. "Both. Dreamscicles are vanilla ice cream with a layer of orange sherbet over it. They're his absolute favorite. He made sure that I got my own box when they went shopping. He'll do _anything_ for one… Pam, can I have a minute?"

I walked slower than usual so that I could enjoy the view as I followed Sookie to the back of the house.

She closed her bedroom door and folded her arms under her breasts. "That's going to cost you a fortune. Why are you doing it?"

"It's a small price to pay. I'm investing in a fresh Pack when they first start out… Making their childhood more carefree will make them more docile adults."

She pointed, leaving her finger just a few inches from my face. "That's your only freebie. I want the real reason." She was warning me?

"I'm old-fashioned. Women should be at home with children instead of burdening the work force only to take sick days and maternity leave for granted, leaving their male counterparts to make up the work they're missing."

I watched her face for her reaction, which is why I missed that she was about to slap me until it was too late. "If you're testing how easy it is for me to tell you're lying, I'm passing. I warned you. Don't lie to me."

"Did you slap me for being a sexist or…?"

"I slapped you for only being half-honest. I can tell you meant it, but it isn't your reason… _Seriously, Eric_. Why? You're talking about millions of dollars."

"I'm bribing my conscience."

She narrowed her eyes. "What does your conscience have to do with Longtooth?"

"I might as well have killed them all myself."

"Sweetie, it's not your fault that you didn't know fixing the problem would be so easy…"

"I killed the Witch booby-trapped with a spell because I lost my temper. It's exclusively my fault that I didn't know that my amnesia could be cured because it's entirely my burden that there was a problem to begin with. I was ME when stomped on a landmine."

"In other versions, some guy named Chow did it and you're still the one that ended up cursed."

"But here, in our world, I'm the one who precipitated a practical genocide. The other versions aren't relevant here. If I'd kept my temper, those children would still have parents. Seeing to their financial needs is the least I can do."

"Do you plan to write checks to all the Vampires who suffered?"

"No. Every one of the Vampires who are finally dead because of Hallow should be ashamed of themselves for falling to a Were. Vampires are stronger, faster, more experienced and as a minimum, the Fellowship was reason enough for them to already be on alert. Darwinism applies to Vampires as well… Weres don't have the advantages we do. They might as well have been Human. The fact that the other Sookie hatched a plan to end Hallow's reign in seconds, and that it only took 3 Vampires and 2 Humans 8 minutes to end 16 Witches proves that Hallow's games only went on as long as they did because she was lucky."

Sookie huffed, "K."

"Ha. You can't always tell when I'm lying. You actually believed that, but I'm just pretending to have feelings since paying your bills didn't get me any closer to fucking you."

She slapped me again, but that time it was because I let her. She truly could sense when I was lying. She stepped close enough that her chest brushed mine. "So, you '_soulless son of a bitch'_, do you by any chance have something larger than a condo available that could inch you closer to my bed?"

"I have a vineyard in Tuscany."

She giggled, "Something local?"

"The first house I bought when I arrived has 6 bedrooms. It's in Western Hills on the lake. Why?"

"Because there's a pair of widows that have three kids between them, but took in 3 more… They said they'd take more if they had the money and room. They're looking for a bigger place to share and combine efforts."

"It's theirs until the youngest one leaves for college."

She smiled from ear to ear. "Folks really buy it, don't they? That you're a giant asshole."

"I _am_ a giant asshole."

She reached up and I assumed she was going to slap me again, but she grabbed my nose and tugged my face closer to hers. "It must suck to care then."

"I'm just thankful that it doesn't happen often."

She smirked and kissed me, my lips instead of my cheek… _progress_. "I've been keeping your secrets this long…"

Dawson had apparently gotten his IQ back while Sookie and I took our sidebar.

As soon as we returned to the kitchen, he started, "Buying a loyal pack?"

"Of course not. _Officially_, if anyone asks, and I doubt they will, Pam will pay for her bleeding heart. Sookie took the sob story of Longtooth's struggle to Pam once news reached Bon Temps that she was acting in my stead. I won't be vacationing for long, so you should call a meeting and encourage your pack to strike while the iron is hot. Everything will be set into motion by the time I 'return' and I won't renege on Pam's promises because it would undermine her authority." I had donation receipts to zoos and aquariums that went back decades to prove Pam had a soft spot for animals if I was ever forced to discuss it.

He blinked a few times before he opened his mouth to say something, but Sookie interrupted him. "Tray, I'm on a contract. I'll be doing my thing for him in return." Brilliant cover story. _A beautiful lie to cover the ugly truth. _

"Your thing is worth a fortune, but even a decade of it isn't worth what it'll cost to…"

She interrupted, "He has a bigger house… one for Danielle and Stephanie. It's got 6 bedrooms and…"

"Sookie seriously…" I had to give him credit for not being distracted by something shiny. "How can you be sure you aren't making a deal with the devil?" He looked to me and almost cringed. "No offense." None taken. I was far more comfortable with that reputation.

Sookie nodded, "_Oh, I am…_ but I'm making a deal _with the devil I know_. Think about it, if he's got condos and houses collecting dust that he can afford to loan out, then chances are good that sitting in on business meetings with him could catch a lie worth millions. He probably donates more every year as tax shelters… It's fine. I'm happy to do it."

I nodded, agreeing with how valuable her telepathy could be in business matters, but I couldn't care less about her ability. Another text from Pam confirmed, "Your calls have been made. Everything is in motion. Why are we doing this?"

"Y'all are sure. I mean… This is crazy big. Those families…"

"I'm sure. My accountant will be calling you soon for information. Bruce Chastain is establishing the John Flood Memorial Relief Fund as we speak. You'll be trustee so that you can disperse funds at your discretion. Pam contacted our Property Manager to let him know to make arrangements for the properties your pack will be using. Mr. Kinsey will be contacting you as well."

"Like a post-bitchpocalypse FEMA?" I watched Sookie take Nate from Tray and walk to her freezer. She jokingly suggested meatloaf, peas and chicken as a snack, but the boy laughingly corrected each time with 'dweamscicle'.

"A helpful loophole… I suggest you go online and become ordained so that you can minister for the _Church of Loup Garou_ or something of the like… It gives you the right to assign foster homes within your congregation and supersedes most reasons for Social Services to be involved unless there are allegations of abuse or neglect."

He seemed to relax marginally. "Shit. I hadn't even thought about that… it'll make custody and adoptions go smoother with a preacher backing them too. What's that cost, like $15?"

"It cost $25 to renew mine last year."

"You're ordained?"

"It's been useful. I'm also a Notary."

He shook his head and chuckled. "Ok, so the condos…?"

"Available until the children are adults. I'll just wait to sell them until then. Property values increase faster than the income from the sale would gain interest. It's not as though I'm in a rush."

"The Relief Fund?"

"On paper, your benefactor was a Vampire in my Area. Jesse Garon's…"

"Sorry, isn't Jesse Garon the name of Elvis's twin? The one that didn't make it?"

I nodded, surprised he'd asked since most people didn't make the connection. "We called him Bubba… His will was nondescript only saying that his assets should be donated to charity upon his final death. I'll add more to it, but it should be enough to get started."

"Yeah. Alright… If you're hiring the adults and putting them in condos, why the fund?"

"I'm sure the pack incurred an abundance of losses. The fund isn't just for the orphans. Property damage, headstones, hospital bills… in addition to relocating multiple families. I doubt you'll have difficulty spending it."

He nodded and was lost in thought long enough that I was distracted… After settling Nate at the table with his snack, Sookie had gotten her own dreamscicle...

Since I'd been turned, food had no appeal to me whatsoever. At best, food offered the occasional aroma that I considered pleasant as opposed to bearable… She wasn't being crude or suggestive, but she didn't need to be. I filled what could've been an awkward silence by blatantly watching her lips wrap around the ice cream over and over…

The only thing to break my concentration was Sookie sliding her hand down my arm. "You ok?"

"I'm fine. Why?"

She looked amused. "You zoned out for a minute. Tray just wanted to be clear… Chester was maimed, still in the hospital. His girlfriend works, but once he's home from the hospital…"

"Does he have a family, a home, insurance?"

She shook her head and her lip quivered as she spoke. I couldn't stand to see it. "Nope. He lost a leg. He's only about halfway through…" She paused to clear her throat. "He's needed a lot of plastic surgery too."

"Out of morbid curiosity… _his leg?_" I wasn't quite sure if he'd be 'complete' in his shifted form. It wasn't as though I'd spent a lot of time with wolves.

Dawson shook his head. "No, he'll have to learn to run again too."

"I'll have Pam discuss things with our Property Manager to determine which residence is his best bet for handicap accessibility. Use the fund for his medical expenses. Contact Dr. Ludwig about the possibility of having a prosthesis made for him since it's not likely that a vet would cooperate with fitting a wolf. And see to a vehicle for him once he's well enough. Whatever he needs. That's what the fund is for."

"Um… not for nothing… how much is in the fund?"

"At the moment, just over $600,000. Like I said, it should be a good start. Once Pam can meet with Bruce to glamour him, five more will be added. You can let me know when you need more."

"$500,000 just like that?" How cute.

"I meant five _**million**_. Speaking in terms of just the orphaned children, that only averages to be $175,000 each. Furnishings for the new residences will be needed. Pickups may need to be upgraded to sedans, sedans to minivans. Utility bills will need to be caught up to be transferred. And I'm sure that there are things that are escaping me because children aren't my specialty…"

Sookie nodded. "Tray, the women are on WIC and Food Stamps… the few men left are struggling to take care of as many as they can. Times were hard enough before. They need this. You can take Bernie and Dave out to Costco and fill pallets with staples so everyone gets a full pantry. Yvonne's kids are growing out of their clothes. Carol and Gina's need glasses. They're scared. They survived Hurricane Hallow, but the cleanup in the aftermath. This will help them get back on their feet."

"By taking advantage of you. It's not right. If anyone is going to get paid for your services it should be you."

She snorted, "You can't deny them. _You_ love me. _You're_ attached to me, but their survival instincts aren't going to let them ask more questions after they hear that 'someone' set up a memorial trust in the Colonel's name. They're going to take the help because their families need it. I'm not sacrificing anything but spare time. Go home and call everybody… tell them to come to the shop tomorrow afternoon. I'll be by to help."

He snorted, "Gonna 'not talk' to the whole bunch of them at once, are ya?"

"Only because they need me too."

Sookie stood at the window by the front door and watched the Packmaster drive away.

In general, I couldn't complain about the Were. Tray Dawson didn't make a single complaint about being saddled with the burden of allocating a trust. His concern was that Sookie had made a deal with the devil as far as he knew. I was endlessly fonder of him than Merlotte. Even the way he admonished her or made accusations was less grating than Merlotte's performance the night before.

I walked up behind Sookie and put my mouth to her ear. "If I have a vote, I think you should keep the job with him."

"Because he doesn't want to have sex with me?"

I corrected, "Because he wants to keep you safe. Even if he wanted to bed you, he'd be preferable because he's legitimately protective of you."

She nodded. "He's good people."

"From what I've seen, I'll concede to that. I liked Flood too. He was principled, sensible, strong leadership skills… Dawson isn't much different."

"I hated lying to him, but he was worried that he'd end up leading an army of Weres for you… like Edgington has. Jackson's Packmaster sold out. _A beautiful lie to cover an ugly truth?_"

"You… did you hear me? My thoughts?"

She nodded again. "Yeah. First time… It's not ugly that you've got a conscience, you know… I'd equate it to having tonsils."

"How's that?"

"Humans don't realize they have them until they flare up."

"Now I'm jealous that tonsils can be removed."

"Don't be. This'll pass."

"I'm sorry that you lied to help cover my 'affliction'. I owe you a lie in return."

"No you don't. I had to do it. I had a hand in those deaths too. I could've, _**should've**_ confronted you when you didn't have a memory. We could've put our heads together… It all could've been over weeks ago. Hindsight being 20/20 sucks, doesn't it."

"I suggest we fuck until dawn. It'll make us both feel better."

She snickered as she turned around. "You did good. Money doesn't fix everything, but with what you're doing, those folks are going to be able to start healing."

"I don't want to talk about it any longer… Pam will run the topic into the ground. I'm for changing the subject… Do you mind explaining what 'I'm not talking to you' means?"

"When Becky first came to stay with Tray, she stayed in bed for days, not talking, just replaying nightmares in her head over and over… When he finally asked me to help, I went over and sat with her. At first, I just listened… after a while I started answering her thoughts… It weirded her out enough that she yelled at me to stop listening…"

"But she was talking."

"Yeah… 'I'm not talking to you' became a joke. A way to say 'helping', usually whether the recipient likes it or not."

"So the care package and cleaning your house…?"

She giggled, "Not talking to me."

"And keeping your distance from me…?"

"Not talking to you too."

"You do realize how much hypocrisy there is in the fact that you fought to keep me from spending $2000 on your bills while you just helped convince a man to take millions from me."

"Maybe, but you aren't going to say anything about it." Oh really?

"Why not?"

"A- I own that I'm stubborn, but my obstinacy only affected me at the time. And B- If you're a jerk about it…" She put her hand on my chest and raised an eyebrow. "I'll volley by reminding you that you have a heart."

"Fair enough." I certainly wasn't going to invite that on myself.

She tilted her head in an obvious 'that's what I thought' gesture. "So… when you zoned out… in the kitchen earlier. Were you remembering something?"

"No."

"Then what was that?"

"I was wishing I was a dreamscicle."


	5. Chapter 5

**Death's Door**

**Chapter 5**

**FYI**

Before I was 'allowed' to move along to the part of the evening when Sookie and I could remedy some confusion, I was sent on an errand.

My 'girlfriend' refused to stay the fuck off of my laptop's keyboard and Sookie was sure there was only one way to pacify the cat.

When I told her that there were plenty of ways to skin a cat, I was reminded that Tina was a monster I created and if we wanted any peace, I was going to have to pay the piper.

Beautiful.

I went from being feared by my peers, to having my memory wiped clean by a Witch, to having the course of my evening dictated by cats and dogs.

Sookie was leaning against the washer, stroking the spoiled feline when I returned. Tina eagerly leapt from her place to strangle my ankles, which made Sookie giggle and quietly say, "You're a brat, you know that?"

I couldn't have agreed more. "Yes, she is."

Sookie snorted. "I was talking about _you_… You flew next door, like walking would kill you. Hell, for that matter, like we're dealing with some sort of deadline."

"You might be the only Human I've ever met who would have the sass to call a Vampire _**a brat**_."

She shrugged. "While we're on the subject…"

"The subject of me being a brat?"

She shook her head and giggled, "You're over a thousand years old, right?"

"Yes… roughly 400 times your age and you called me a brat."

"Oh God. Get over it. You're actually getting worse… What was the Pied Piper?"

"The Pied Piper?"

"Yeah. I mean… when you left, I got to thinking because I made that joke. I was just wondering because Gran and I used to debate stuff like that."

"Stuff like what?"

"Well, like fables and legends and stuff… She had a theory about Atlantis and…"

"What was that?"

"Well, she says it was Plato's fault that it was supposedly as big as a 'continent'… that it was probably a small island that broke away from somewhere because of an earthquake or something that bumped into another landmass because of tectonic shifting. Her money was on Sicily and Gibraltar."

"Theorizing that Sicily was severed from greater Italy or Gibraltar collided with Spain." Not a bad conclusion for someone who only had basic schooling.

Sookie shrugged. "Geographically, it makes sense because they're both part of the Med. My guess was that it was like Venice. You know, sinking…" Another sound theory…

"How would you feel if I told you that you're both wrong?"

She gasped, "You know!? I only brought it up as a 'for instance'."

"The Canary Islands seem bigger than they are from a ship due to the mountains."

"That simple?"

"Sadly, all the hype is over islands that everyone has always known about. Were there other debates?"

"Der Butzman? Vampire who preferred children?"

"Yes."

"Rasputin… It was hard to kill that guy… _was he a crazy ass Were?_"

"Disgusting and deranged, but Human."

"So… about the Pied Piper of Hamlin?"

"Originally Hameln…The Pied Piper was a Witch. He was hired to rid Hameln of Sinti, which were gypsies. Rats, vermin, lowlifes… most languages associate them. The Sinti were baited out of the village when they hallucinated whisperings that there was gold in the nearby river. They dove to their own deaths… The part of the fable about the children was correct in part. The Witch, whose name was Pfeiffer, took a child from each family of Hameln having more than one and killed them, promising to get the rest if he wasn't paid."

"Oh. My. God!"

"It wasn't unheard of back then to kill someone who refused to pay…"

"Not that! I'm making a list!"

I couldn't help but chuckle. I'd thought that she'd be less than amused given our recent encounter with Hallow. "A list?"

She nodded. "It's not fair that Gran had you, but you couldn't tell her this stuff either. As many times as she read Grimm, she'd have eaten it up!"

"I scanned the journal entries of the Eric and Sookie we met… Apparently Adele was right about the origins of Bombay blood type as well."

"Figures… can I? Do you mind?"

"Do I mind if you what?"

"Read the journal… I can't help but be curious."

"I assumed you read it already. Why didn't you?"

"You mean at your house? I didn't want to at the time… I didn't want to know what you're like with your memory if you didn't get it back. You and Pam were frustrated enough. I wanted to stay ignorant. Gran's Eric was good enough for me. I thought it'd be good for you to be around someone who wasn't disappointed." I wasn't sure how to understand how that made me feel…

"The Eric we met… his Adele is enamored by him."

"_**Our Adele**_ was enamored by you… Come on. Feed the beast so we can get to class."

I waited in the living room while Sookie stopped in the kitchen… as she moved around she asked, "I'm grabbing a snack. Do you want me to warm up a True Blood while I'm in here?"

"No thank you."

"You were drinking a couple every night before though…"

"Because they aren't…" I had to think of the least insulting way to explain them since she'd been scraping pennies to buy them for me. "They aren't as filling as live blood. I might not remember it, but I had your blood and the blood of several Witches… I won't need to feed for a few nights."

She sat next to me with a package of cookies that smelled of figs and a large glass of milk. She huffed, "Oh… ok then… sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"Because you've been drinking junk food for months, I guess."

"I've resorted to worse, but to be honest, I never touch True Bloods."

"_Because…?_ Nevermind."

"Go ahead and ask. You've killed two Witches. Don't chicken out of a question."

She swatted my arm and giggled, "Fine. Is it because you used to feed from fangbangers at Fangtasia or because True Bloods are that gross?"

"Both, but for the record, fangbangers are rarely much better."

"Why's that?"

"Fangbangers are of a certain mindset. Pam has explained their litany of mental disorders to me, but I wasn't listening. What it comes down to is that most drugs either thin out the blood or make it hardly palatable. The Cocaine family makes blood bitter and GHB gives it an irritating chalky aftertaste… Diet is a factor as well. We can actually taste a poorly balanced diet. When a human is ailing, a doctor does 'bloodwork'. Nearly everything that can be detected under a microscope can be distinguished by a Vampire who knows what he's tasting." I'd worried that the topic might be too macabre for her, but she'd listened attentively with her head tilted to the side.

She hummed thoughtfully and seemed to be ruminating while she chewed her cookie. "And you… You don't remember what I tasted like." As much as I wished I did…

"No. Why?"

"Just curious since I was sick and all… I hadn't eaten that day or anything."

"You're curious about what you taste like." I don't know why I asked… we needed to change the subject… **soon**. Sookie's blood and bath time weren't things I needed to spend any amount of time thinking about until her refrigerator had the pouches of donor blood Pam was supposed to bring to me.

"Well… yeah. I mean to a Vampire. I know what I taste like to me. I've been waitressing long enough that I'm surprised I still have fingertips. Slicing lemons for iced tea is my bane. Lafayette used to do it for me." The mental image of Sookie sucking her finger was all I needed to decide that talking about her dead friend was the perfect change of subject.

"What happened to him?"

"Fucking Sam… it was my boss's bitch of a booty call… Do you know what the hell a Maenad is?"

"Yes… The question is how you know."

"She rolled through town in October…"

"I'm aware. I had to pay tribute to get her to leave."

She laughed, "No shit!?"

"She was here, in Bon Temps?"

"Well why the hell wouldn't she be when she's got a Shifter offering dick-service? She stirred up all kinds of shit. Lafayette was killed because of the orgies she stirred up. I don't know all the details, but I could've killed Sam when I caught him missing the sex."

"Did you meet her?"

She shook her head. "I just saw her in Sam's head. She was pretty to him, but I didn't eavesdrop much. Whenever he thought of her it was 'sexy time'. Did you?"

"No. She attacked one of my waitresses. Ginger only lived long enough to pass along the message that the Maenad was demanding tribute."

"I confronted Sam about her… He thought I was being possessive of him, if you can believe that. It made him worse than before… like it gave him hope that I wanted to be with him."

"He just assumed that you were seeing 'sexy time' in his thoughts and were _jealous?_"

She snorted, "Yeah… _asshole_. Punched him right in his nose when he asked me what I knew about 'anything'. I swear, all this time he's been gunning for me to be his and he's completely oblivious to the reality that there is, _**IN FACT**_, a perfectly functioning brain in the lump two and a half feet above what he cares about... Good riddance."

"Good riddance?"

"Yep. Quit today."

"Oh really?"

"Sort of. I called the florist and had chocolates and baby's breath sent to him. The card says, 'Sayonara. No love, Sookie'. That should take care of it."

I laughed, "I should think so. Do you realize both are poisonous to dogs?"

The evilest smirk appeared on her face. "Bet your ass I do… The woman who took my order wouldn't draw a middle finger for me."

"Why didn't you quit last night?"

"Because I was still pissed about the way he was acting. I wanted to calm down first… It helped that I talked to that detective."

"How did that go?"

"While I was on the phone with him he looked up those other murders the other Sookie mentioned… The ones that happened before. He apologized because he was afraid that they could just make Jason look more guilty… but then he found another unsolved case that happened once Jason was in custody with the same MO… By the time I was off the phone with him, he found _**three**_ unsolved cases in some data base that happened _after_ Jason was arrested."

"The question I have is why the fuck no one noticed before?"

"Hallow. Plain and simple. All of her fuckery is why no one cared about the occasional fangbanger getting raped and strangled. People were turning up ripped to bits all over Shreveport and Bossier City. Hell, Hallow scattered pieces of one of Flood's Lieus all over the lawn of her bridal shop… Fangtasia pulled in its shingle and Vampires were nowhere to be found. Anyway, I explained to Coughlin that the Jane Doe was probably the sister of one of Jason's co-workers… and that Rene had testified against him. He was sooooo interested in that little tidbit, _lemme tell ya_. He promised to call back tomorrow once the other parishes faxed over the autopsy reports."

"He's hopeful?"

"He's definitely interested in the case. That's enough for me since no one in Bon Temps would so much as look."

"So you only quit your job because of the possibility that your brother could be released to pay his own mortgage… even though I…"

She dropped her pack of cookies on the coffee table and moved to cover my mouth. I couldn't decide if the look on her face was playful or deadly as she whispered, "Shut. Your. Mouth."

The temptation to pull her onto my lap made my hands twitch. I mumbled into her palm, "Why?"

"Because I could've bought True Bloods for you for the rest of my life. How great would it have felt for you to be tended to like a pet instead of doing something for yourself? How damaged would your sense of pride be if you went on like that?"

I gently pulled her hand away since she hadn't removed it. Her face was only inches away, but I let my fangs down. She barely reacted other than giving a glance in their direction. No fear. "Knowing now that I have always been able to take care of myself, I'd have been embarrassed… but since I didn't remember how independent I am, there is no telling. I think I'd have been happy to drink metallic, bottled sludge just to be near you. It's why Jan didn't move on after Adele's passing."

"To be near me?"

I nodded and let go of her hand, but she stayed where she was.

"Memory or video?"

"Video."

"He didn't know me though. I… Eric, I stayed the hell away from you so no one smelled you, especially Sam, but Tray asked me right away why I smelled like Vampire and I stopped sitting on the couch because I thought I was transferring the scent that way. I played it off and blamed it on maybe brushing up against someone while I was waitressing… and I stopped having friends stop by."

Sookie made a fair point… avoiding direct contact with me, her Were co-workers were forced to assume anything but that I was staying on her property. I wouldn't have been as easily fooled though. I'd have smelled the traces throughout the house. Since Sookie had taken Nate directly from Tray, Sookie smelled as though Tray had been wearing her clothes. It was safe to say that wasn't the first time she'd ever held the boy.

I couldn't help but wonder if Jan had forgotten the scent, or if he'd remembered and simply thought Sookie was Were. I pulled her closer to settle my curiosity, taking a long draw of her scent. Even carrying ample amounts of Dawson's scent, she was temptation personified… but I was distracted by a thought… a memory.

A much bigger piece…

_I'd landed on the stairs of the back porch reeking of moth balls… it was just after sunset so seeing Sookie's car was a surprise. I waited, listening for clues that Adele was alone, but Tina had given me away. She sensed her waiting meal and Adele had taken the cat's cue and followed in spite of her stiff joints. _

_Adele smiled from the doorway and whispered, "It's safe. She's asleep."_

"_This early?"_

_She nodded, her smiled fading quickly. "Something's wrong, but she won't talk about it… She came back from that Tray's house and she was some kind of blue." She said 'that Tray' as though it was one of the 7 Plagues of Egypt. _

_I followed Adele into the house after setting loose Tina's toys. "Do we not like Tray?"_

"_Oh, he's nice enough, but that could be hooey. He could be an Eddie Haskell…"_

"_Who?"_

"_Sorry. He was a character on a TV show. He was a trouble maker, but he faked manners for parents and caused ruckus behind the scenes."_

"_If he hasn't given you any reason to be suspicious… Adele, you're housing a Vampire. You've given __**me**__ the benefit of the doubt."_

"_I don't have a reason in the world. I'll admit… He's been sweet as pie when I've seen him. I've just got a feeling about him… like he's two faced. She doesn't need that. Not with how Sam treats her. Who knows why his wife cut him loose and he's got a baby. His son is only 2… And I'm sorry, call me old fashioned, but I think he's way too old for her. That man's got more business dating __**me**__."_

"_What's the age difference?"_

"_He's a retired cop so I'm betting he's old enough to be her daddy."_

_I chuckled, "So you'd be against the idea of me asking her for a date?"_

"_No. Doesn't that just beat all? How big of a hypocrite am I? As old as we're guessing you are, from what you've remembered, I wouldn't mind a bit. I guess it's weird, but I don't give a fig. There are Humans his age he can date. You can't say that."_

"_But then what would that say for Sookie? There are men her age she can date."_

_She shrugged. "She can't stand being that close to most Human men… I don't know how she can stand to date Tray unless his thoughts are like Sam's. You know, more clouded… let's get you those True Bloods so you can take your shower."_

_Everything was clear, every detail of the shower… Adele staying in her room to act as a guard so that Sookie wouldn't walk in… The smell of the soap… The feel of the water… The warm feeling of seeing fresh clothing waiting for me on the counter because Adele kept it in her room for me… And the way they smelled of Adele who always smelled of her lotion and brown sugar._

_I waited next to the door to be sure that Sookie was still asleep before we left the room…_

_Since I was clean, free of the stench of mothballs, I could smell it before we were out of the room… the salty drag in the air. "Adele, were you crying?"_

_She shook her head ruefully and whispered, "No… that was Sookie. Like I said, __**something**__ happened. Poor thing… Gone for days and she got home about an hour before you did and went straight to bed without dinner to cry herself to sleep. Something tells me I'm gonna need my shotgun next time that Tray shows his face 'round here."_

_Instead of moving down the hall quickly to guarantee that I wouldn't be seen, I stopped just short of Sookie's door to peek in. She was lying with her back turned to the door, so I signaled Adele to stay where she was and walked in silently. I didn't want to think because I was afraid it would ruin the memory, stop it short, but the closer I stepped to Sookie, the more of Dawson I smelled and I knew immediately what triggered the memory. The layers of Sookie and Tray's scents together. _

_The tiny puddles of fallen tears on her pillowcase and her damp cheeks were all I would've needed to know she was upset about something, but she shifted, pulling her pillow closer and mumbled, "Don't do that… It'll be alright…" before her sleepy chatter became incoherent and brought on a fresh flow of tears._

_I left just as quietly as I'd entered and whispered to Adele, "You said she talks in her sleep?"_

_She nodded. _

"_You should see if you can get information that way."_

_She cringed, the look on her face echoed my own feelings at the time… she didn't want to invade Sookie's privacy, but was still worried enough to try._

_I stood behind Adele with my hands on her shoulders and whispered, "Start simple to test if she stirs. Ask if there's anything you can do."_

_Adele used the softest voice she could muster to coo, "Baby, is there anything I can do to make it better?"_

_Sookie whimpered, "No… I don't think anyone can."_

_Without prompting Adele asked, "Did Tray do something stupid? Did he hurt you?"_

_Sookie hummed and shifted her leg. "Of course not. Tray loves me. He'd never." Even in her sleep, she said it with conviction. _

_It took Adele a moment to think of another question. "Is Sam up to his nonsense again?"_

"_I haven't seen him in days, but he's probably just being a nasty assface alone somewhere."_

_Adele snickered quietly and looked over her shoulder to give me a little smile._

_I whispered, "Ask her why she smells like Weres and blood." And a hospital, but I didn't want to terrify Adele._

_Adele's eyes grew in panic. "Sookie… if you're not hurt, why do you smell like blood?"_

_Sookie's crying became more pained and she all but wailed, "Poor Chester… a friend of mine… he got hurt real bad. He probably won't make it."_

"_How?"_

"_I can't talk about it…" I patted Adele's shoulder and reminded her to ask why I smelled Weres on Sookie and promised to explain what a Were was when we were done._

"_And Were?"_

"_We were all waiting together… They wouldn't let any of us see him for a while… I got to go back with Keira though…"_

"_You were at the hospital?"_

"_Yeah…"_

"_You should know better after Linda."_

"_I couldn't not go… He couldn't talk."_

_Adele turned to me and whispered, "That would explain it. Sookie can't go to hospitals." I knew better. I knew there was more to it, but it wasn't a conversation that could be whispered. _

_I nodded. _

_Adele cooed again, "Alright baby. I'll let you rest then unless you want me to bring you something to eat."_

"_No… I couldn't stand to look at food… not after what they did to him…" Sookie's breathing became more labored and Adele left me at the doorway to calm her troubled granddaughter. _

_I listened from the hallway, waiting for more clues, but the memory faded into my reality._

I hadn't realized until my thoughts came back to the present that I'd pulled Sookie onto my legs. Even though my finger was on her lips, she seemed to be waiting patiently for me to explain.

Her hands were warming the sides of my neck and when my eyes met hers, she raised her eyebrows and smirked, waiting for me to remove my finger. "**That** was a memory, wasn't it?"

I nodded. "Did you date Dawson or just let Adele think you were dating him?"

She tilted her head to the side and didn't make any effort to leave my lap. "He was in on it because I didn't want her to know I'd gotten a second job… She found out eventually though. What? Was your memory of her gossiping about us?"

"He's too old for you."

She giggled, "She would. She was so funny. I guess she wouldn't approve of you then."

"Actually, I made the same point and she said she wouldn't mind if I asked you out. The age difference was only half of her problem. She said he seemed 'two-faced' and then immediately mentioned Sam. I think she might've inadvertently connected those dots."

"That woman was crazy perceptive... So if Gran was in your memory and she still thought I was dating Tray, we're talking about mid-January. Miss Fortenberry spilled my beans for me. Bernie gave her a tow. Silly old bat blew a tire on her way back from shopping and tried to limp her car home. She got stuck in a rut and guess who was working when she poured her fat ass out of the wrecker."

"Bitter?"

"When Gran knew fast enough to come up before my shift was over? She read me the riot act and then went after the guys for laughing at me. _Hell yeah, I'm bitter… _So did you two just tittle-tattle about my 'love' life?" Having had the memory had been promising enough, but the way Sookie's tongue moved when she said 'tittle-tattle'… fuck… focus.

"No. We were only discussing it because she was worried about you. You'd been gone for days, but when you returned you were too upset to eat and cried yourself to sleep… She thought Tray had done something to upset you."

"Oh… that was…"

"You're most likely about to get really angry."

"Why?"

"Because we found out why you were upset?"

"How?"

"You talk in your sleep."

She rolled her eyes and sighed, "And with a Vampire in the living room, you heard everything, huh?"

"Not exactly."

She raised an eyebrow. "Am I going to want to beat your ass?"

"Probably… I went into your room and… I smelled your tears, several Weres including Tray and blood, that horrible medical disinfectant that's only used at hospitals… On a lighter note, smelling Dawson on you from your hugging earlier brought on the memory, I believe. And I'd been taking True Bloods while I still smelled like a walking moth ball so that I couldn't taste…"

She narrowed her eyes. "Cut the shit and get to the part that's gonna piss me off." Yes ma'am…

"At some point Adele must've mentioned that you talk in your sleep… I suggested she try to ease her concern by getting answers that way."

"You…"

"Jan." There was plenty of blame I would accept, but since I wasn't myself… that was all Jan's fault.

"You suggested that my Gran practically read my mind by interviewing me in my sleep."

"We were worried that Tray had hurt you."

She growled, glaring like she wanted to kill me. "What. Did. I. Say?"

"The first thing Adele asked was if she could help, then if Tray hurt you… then about the smell of blood…"

"You told her that I smelled like blood!? Were you trying to give her a heart attack?"

"No…" I was fucking floundering worse than I ever had before. "Honestly, we were concerned and… _I'm not talking to you_."

Her face contorted, her eyes squeezed together. Her lips puckered like she'd eaten something painfully sour before she took a deep breath. "I'm gonna get you for that."

"Am I wrong?"

"Shut up. Finish the story."

"You were too upset to give details. You'd been to the hospital… because of Chester."

She nodded. "January 21st. I spent 4 days at Tray's house with Becky and once things were starting to settle down with her I was planning to come home… we got the call from Keira at about 8am… She'd found him on their driveway when she went to leave for work."

"Adele offered to bring food to you, but you said you couldn't stand to eat, not after what they did to him… What was done?"

Her chin puckered before she could open her mouth to begin explaining.

I put my finger to her lips to stop her. "Hold on. Take a deep breath. Don't feel it. Explain it like he's a complete stranger. Focus on my quiet mind and feel that instead. The smell of your tears makes me want to kill something."

Shocked, but still perfectly comfortable on my lap, she inhaled deeply before she started. "He was covered in bite marks, Wolf and Vampire. The skin on the right side of his face had been scratched away down to the bone. Some of his fingers had been chewed off… and his leg got the same treatment. The doctors said that the only reason he lived was because he'd been bled slowly… that his heart had slowed down… otherwise…"

"Otherwise, he'd have bled to death in minutes from the severed femoral artery… Vampires helped?"

She took another deep breath. "No… he was taken somewhere. He doesn't know where except that it was a warehouse and he was fed to Vampires being held captive. Him and another Were, but Luke never turned up. Hallow was draining the Vampires, feeding them with Weres to get every drop she could out of them and then letting the sun kill the Vampires when it came through the windows. Chester watched the Vampires blister to death then he was taken home for his pregnant girlfriend to find."

"Adele said that you should've known better than to go to a hospital because of someone named Linda?"

"My aunt. It took her a couple of years of poisoning herself with chemo before cancer finally took her. I found out the hard way that it's a good thing I've never been sick enough to need to be hospitalized. All the mental anguish… it transfers."

"Understandable. So if you're ever hurt, you'll be healed instead of taken to an emergency room. Good to know…" She opened her mouth as though she was going to argue, but I didn't give her the chance. "What were the authorities told?"

"By then they were looking for a pack of wild dogs because he wasn't the first. The fang marks were a big issue. Tray figured that there was enough shit going on that we didn't need a rogue Vampire running around. That's how we found out that they'd taken over Fantasia… They'd been using somewhere else, but… spoils of war, I guess… when Tray called Fangtasia to give you a heads up, there was a message on the machine. Basically the info from your reward poster, plus Pam's name. Tray was pretty sure they were on their own at that point."

"And you were at the hospital because…?"

"I wanted to be. I was waiting for news, but the only reason Tray let me stay was because it's true what they say about people in comas. Their brains are working, just disconnected from their body. I played the 'what if' card. Chester's only 22 so it's not like he had a living will. Life support, no life support… certain procedures… the chance for Keira to say goodbye and actually get one last message…" She stopped to take another breath. "I went back with Keira when they finally let anyone see him, once they neatened up the amputation… He thought directly to me. 'Tell her I'm not going anywhere. Tell her she's stuck with my freckled ass.' It made her laugh. She had a scare, almost lost the baby, but now that he seems to be out of the woods, things are getting better."

"Knowing that she was looking for me specifically, why didn't you turn me in?"

"Because you'd have died at dawn like the rest of them. There was no promise to stop once she got you. Sure, I figured that she wanted your go-juice, but that would've just made it easier to kill everyone else. The Weres were done quickly. They went underground in the first couple of weeks. They've been laying low like everyone else. I don't know how the fuck she got as many Vampires as she did. I don't really believe it, honestly. Pam said more than 400… but that doesn't jibe."

"Why not?"

"Because the other me, yeah she's had Eric-juice and all, but she managed to sneak up on her. I think Hallow scared them underground too…"

"A Vampire wouldn't be scared of a Witch."

"A Vampire might be leery enough of a Witch who was powerful enough to make someone they're scared of disappear. K… Hear me out… You killed that first Witch. Did you think twice about it?"

"No."

"_**BUT**_… knowing now that there are crazy powerful bitches out there, would you think twice next time?"

"I suppose that we could say I learned that lesson the hard way. Yes, I'd be more cautious."

"Right… and you're a pragmatic son of a bitch according to Pam. So say someone that you acknowledge as being strong and smart like you went poof into thin air. Would you go looking to bring that on yourself or would you take a wait-and-see approach from the safety of your favorite safe-house?"

"Wait and see."

"That Compton guy is probably dead because they found that mucky puddle of someone next to his car… and Chester watched 3 die…"

"Did Chester mention how long it took?"

"He said he was going to have nightmares just because it took so long."

"That means they were young and that would explain why they were easily caught. It wouldn't take long for me to disintegrate."

She shook her head, seemingly to eject the idea. "Anyway… If Hallow was still feeding from Vampires on the regular, she'd have smelled us, that we were there. Hell, Tray can smell me from under whatever car he's working on when I get to work and he's not an amped up blood-head. I think you've got more Vampires left than Pam's numbers suggest."

"Interesting theory. Care to make a wager?"

She scowled and slapped my chest with both hands. "You. Are. Not. Allowed to bet against your own team!"

"It wouldn't be betting against them. If they're dead, it's already done. What's the harm in making the numbers interesting?"

"The harm would be that you'd be hoping that more are dead so that you could win, what? What was your dirty brain thinking about betting?"

I tried my most innocent face. "I hadn't gotten that far yet."

She raised an eyebrow. "Would it have involved nudity?"

I opened my mouth to tell her no, lie, but thought better of it. "Maybe."

She snickered, shaking her head back and forth. "That's good, but uh… in all your life, how many times have you actually been as innocent as that look?"

"Probably close to never."

Her head fell back when she laughed. "Oh God! What the hell does it say about me that I think it's cute that you're the damn devil?"

"Even the devil has a weakness." She made me crave dreamscicles.

She caught her breath and gave me a level stare. "I'll tell you what… I'll make you a deal."

"Ok. What do you want?"

"I want you to hope those Vampires are ok. Hope they were just being smart like Pam." So sweet. There wasn't any way for her to know that I wasn't going to miss most of them. For that matter, I'd wished most of them would leave my area at one point or another. I'd labeled most of them. Anything from 'problem child' to 'chronic bore'.

"And in return?"

"Dinner." There wasn't a single thing to make me think she was joking.

"To clarify, in exchange for hoping that the Vampires of my Area are just waiting for news of Hallow's death so that they can resurface, you're willing to make a roast for me?"

She raised her eyebrow and brushed her hair over her shoulder. "Not exactly." Tease.

"I'm going to hope that they're still walking regardless. Having 400 Vampire deaths on my resume isn't going to help my reputation." If she had any idea how much it pained me to say that. My fangs hurt as though they were arguing that I wasn't in my right mind.

"Then we're even. I wasn't going to make you stick to that bottled shit either. I saw what you looked like after you'd been on it for 3 months _**AND**_ how one feeding from me helped."

"Sookie…"

"It's the least I can do." No. She surpassed the least she could've done months ago.

"I already feel like I've taken advantage of you."

"How's that? Until 2 nights ago you didn't even know I was doing anything willingly." I should've taken the True Blood when it was offered.

I stared at her, trying to think of a way to explain that I still felt like I owed her everything and forcing air out of my nose slowly so that her scent couldn't push me.

She waited, but finally tilted her head slightly. "Ok. For once in my life, I'm not going to push. The offer is there. Just let me know. You wanna get to watching the video and going through the notes?"

I nodded and considered moving to sit across from her instead of torturing myself by staying next to her.

The video had a running time of 19 minutes and 27 seconds, but it took 2 hours to get through it even though Sookie refused to watch her 2 minute segment.

As each topic came up, the video was paused so that one of us could explain something that was mentioned.

I explained every facet I could think of on the topic of bonding between Vampires and Humans as well as between Makers and children. She seemed to be more curious about why Makers who bond with their children before turning them have a closer tie… interested since there were two known versions of 'Vampire Sookie'.

I was informed that the 'differential Hadley' had been stealing checks from Adele. In the falling out, Hadley denied having a drug addiction and walked away from her family instead of letting them help her seek treatment. Less than a month later, she was discovered by the maid service of a sleazy motel in Alexandria… She'd overdosed and was covered in old bruises and track marks with $14 to her name. While her death wasn't much of a surprise, it still took its toll on Linda and Adele.

I'd managed, fairly well, to get through the bonding conversation without being too affected by the concept…

My problem began with reading the journal entries. Knowing that I'd be able to see perfectly, Sookie placed my laptop on the coffee table and sat between my feet on the floor…

The record was color coded and filed by when they met, our encounter was with 'August Sookie' and 'August Eric' whose entries were on the light green pages.

There were more than a few things about the collection of notes that caught my attention.

The first line of text was, '_Bring her to your side. Be patient. Don't lie to her. She'll be the best thing that ever happened to you.'_

It was the quote Jan had given to Pam about Sookie, the one he'd gotten from August Eric… I'd assumed it was an off the cuff remark, but since it was the first thing to be read of his version of events, it seemed more like a mission statement. A doctrine.

Having a better grip on reality since I'd come to terms with my amnesia, the passages in the journal seemed more real than they had been when I scanned them the night before.

Sookie was a well paid, working telepath under contract with the Queen. She behaved like a dutiful pet in the public eye, but was treated as an equal privately, just as I'd always done with Pam. He spelled out his pride in Sookie's standing and behavior, his annoyance with Hadley, his angst over Adele's heart attack and fear of her mortality, his enjoyment of having Hunter, and his friendships with Jason and Sookie's guard, Alcide. We stopped reading long enough for Sookie to explain that Jackson and Alcide Herveaux had been some of the first Weres killed. Chester had been one of their employees.

August Eric's explanation was a portrayal of a life that I never would've expected to have and made me inquisitive about skipping 'to' them just to see it personally.

Sadly, it wasn't a life I could have… After everything that had happened, it just wasn't possible.

Sophie-Anne was nothing if not covetous and he'd been right when he warned us that since our version of events didn't include that the Queen had her 'own Stackhouse', Sookie wouldn't be left to stay with me. Andre would've turned her to control her. And the way the power structure was aligned, the only way to file my complaint would have been to the Queen, and his Maker wouldn't exactly have punished him for the infraction.

While August Sookie had met and built a rapport with nearly every Vampire in Louisiana by scanning their pets, My Sookie (March Sookie) had been absorbed by the remaining Longtooth pack by using her ability in humanitarian efforts.

Our Adele was already dead.

Our Jason was incarcerated.

Our Alcide had been murdered.

Our Hunter hadn't been conceived.

When Sookie mentioned being on different pages the night before, she couldn't have been more accurate.

August Eric's description left an air of melancholy between Sookie and me.

Sookie had seen a very happy version of herself, but that happiness came from being surrounded by a loving family that wasn't feasible.

Sookie huffed, calling their life a Utopia and ours, _a funeral pyre_.

By the time we were done reading his thoughts, I was questioning whether we should have continued with August Sookie's remarks, but Sookie seemed determined. She scrolled down and suggested that we finish, but wait to read the other 'colors' on another night.

I nodded and braced myself to have my nose rubbed in the idea of how wrong things had gone because one heroin addict didn't sober up.

August Sookie's entry was formatted as a letter…

"_Dear me, _

_If you're reading this, that means that you've already been welcomed to the Twilight Zone by meeting another version of yourself. Once you read through this whole thing, you'll come to a few conclusions…_

_I'm going to try to save you some trouble though._

_Bill Compton is trouble no matter what version we've run into. The only good Compton is a finally dead Compton and if you haven't met him yet, avoid him like AIDs._

_Alcide Herveaux is loyal to his core every time he's crossed our paths, no matter what capacity. As weird as it was to meet him when I was engaged and pregnant with his baby, he loved that Sookie with all his heart. But since I'm with Eric, the thought hasn't ever crossed his mind. He's a good man and you'll be honored to know him._

_The idea of raising Hunter scared the hell out of me. I wanted to avoid it, but Gran and Eric rallied around us. If Hunter lands in your lap, don't be worried. He's the sweetest little thing and his day doesn't start until Eric is up. But that could be said for the rest of us."_

Sookie stopped reading to growl as her head fell back. She yelled at the ceiling, perhaps to something beyond it, "Could there be something in here about someone who isn't fucking dead, please!"

"Sookie, we can stop."

She shook her head and growled again. "It's like getting lemon juice in your eyes. The first thing you do is rub it… it only makes it worse."

"Then we'll put it away…"

"No… I want to get it over with…"

She scowled at the screen as she continued reading…

"_Look, this could be weird. I've met Mes in rearranged relationships with the people in my life. More often than not, I'm with Eric or eventually end up being with Eric. There was one version that made me sick because I was stuck with Bill, in a forever kind of way. There was a version with Sam and me pretty much happily married with children. The one that really threw me for a loop was me and Pam being together. Eric doesn't think it's funny, but I want to go back to that one. I bought it at the time, but, if you know Pam at all, it could've been a joke meant to get under Eric's skin. P.S. I'd totally help her with that prank too. _

_Then there are the Mes I haven't met, but I've read about. You will too. There is a version of Me who was turned by Andre. It's like a third cousin version because it's a third hand version. Apparently, as soon as Hadley mentioned me, he drove up to Bon Temps and killed me and went to ground with me that same night. And yes, even though I said he 'killed' me, I am planning on having Eric turn me. Once Hunter is grown and Gran is gone. Jason knows and is even understanding of my reasons for wanting to be with Eric as long as I can be. I'm not the only version planning on forever either._

_As for Eric, my version of Eric… the Eric I go to sleep with every morning when he dies… the Eric who cures his boredom by spinning people up… the Eric who can't control me any other way than reasoning with me… he makes me happy. He makes me smile. No matter where we travel, no matter how we wake up… my home is by his side. Gran says that we balance one another perfectly. He jokes that it's because Pam trained him to tolerate anything… I know that it's because he loves me, warts and all. _

_We make one another nuts, good ways and bad… but I wouldn't have it any other way._

_Ok. Enough of the sappy stuff. You'll get emo stuff from other Mes about Alcide, Sam and Pam, but I'd like to point out that no matter who you end up with, Eric is part of your life. When you're not a couple, you're under his protection because even if you're not His, he's still badass enough to protect you._

_Oh yeah, and I know you're going to think this is like getting a Mogwai for a gift but there are some words to the wise…_

_He won't complain unless you overdose on it, but veer away from cabbage. It makes your skin smell like an outhouse and it makes blood taste like paper._

_Go lay out in the yard for a normal tanning session, then put on one of Eric's shirts for a few minutes after. Seal it in a Ziploc for him to wear later. My scent and sunlight on his shirts are like a little happy pill for him. Make sure you take the bag out with you and leave it open. The fresh air and sun get rid of the plasticy smell._

_Laying out in the sun and not bathing before he rises is a bad idea if you have ANY plans for the night. The shirt diffuses the smell enough that it's calming. But Me + sunlight = ordering new sheets. I do it on purpose on nights off and we don't leave the bed unless we fall out of it, but if you aren't with Eric already, it could make for an awkward visit._

_And if I was an idiot and forgot to mention this when I met you in person, DO NOT exchange blood with him somewhere that isn't light tight. Eric wanted to include the video we made on the memory card, but I'm not quite the prideful turd he is… So the sneaky asshole probably buried it in a file since I'm just getting used to computers and can't find it, but whatever. The insanity that happens when we swap blood at the same time is unhinged. It doesn't matter how much. If you don't believe it, prick your fingers and do the 'blood brothers' thing. When you snap out of it, your clothes will probably need to be thrown away. It's not normal. Sophie-Anne and Hadley didn't even have it happen. We lose hours and it's perfection… it's our drug of choice._

_That's it. Go. Read. Fall in love with the man of my dreams."_

Sookie seemed to stare at the screen for longer than necessary, so I took a moment to be amused with the difference in styles…

If read aloud, Eric's writing would have the tenor of a prideful inaugural address. That was his life and he knew how lucky he was to have it. He'd have killed anyone who tried to ruin it.

Sookie's, had she read it to me, was relaxed and seemed like a conversation between two friends… That was her life and she couldn't have been happier to have it, but he was her focus.

In the extra time I had to think, I found myself wondering why, of all the places, I'd ended up in Bon Temps the night I was cursed.

I blamed the bizarre source of the skipping… but I couldn't help but feel like there was something more…

I'd remembered the most fundamental of standards.

Mousetraps that I'd been using in slight variations for centuries…

Discouraging vandals from a resting place by making it seem unsound…

Adele mentioned that I'd gleaned a few of my memories while I was there that gave them an estimate of my age…

And I had a memory of smells. Blood was a given, but Weres and hospitals weren't something I should've remembered…

So having those thoughts functioning in the background, left me with something more profound…

My mysterious arrival in Bon Temps instead of my own home or anywhere else in the world that I'd been safe might've meant that part of me belonged there.

Sookie finally spared me from my abnormally deep feelings when she shook her head. "That is too weird. I just got done reading a letter from **me** on how to be **your** girlfriend."

"Shhh. Tina will hear you."

She giggled, "Is it weird that I want to try the blood brothers thing?" Fuck.

"Yes."

"You don't?"

"No. I want to fuck you and remember it. From what I understand, they had to make a video because they don't remember what happens."

"For the full shebang, yeah, but she made the blood brothers thing sound like making out… You'd have buried that video on the memory card wouldn't you?"

"Yes."

"You're going to watch it as soon as you're upstairs, aren't you?"

"Absolutely."

She swatted my leg. "Sneaky asshole."

I laughed, "I'm not that sneaky if she knew he'd do it and you knew I'd watch it!"

"What if I want to watch it?"

"If you want to see yourself fuck me, why not just fuck me in the flesh?" I must've become a masochist while I had amnesia. Why the fuck was I talking about it?

She dropped her head back to look at me from between my knees. Sadist. "I'm allowed to be curious."

"Then why don't we go to my room and record our own."

"Because if we went past… Nevermind."

"What did I tell you about chickening out?"

She put her hands on my knees to lift herself from the floor and sat on the sofa. "I'm not chickening out. I reevaluated what I was about to say."

"Fine. That being said, what were you about to say?"

She growled at me. "I was about to say that if we went past dawn then I'd be trapped all day without a bathroom."

"And you reevaluated that, _why?_"

"Because the conversation was getting away from me."

"How so?"

"You ask too many questions."

"You're a curious creature, Sookie. I want to know what goes on in that perfectly functioning lump two and a half feet above your tantalizing ass."

She gasped, leaving her mouth open.

I wiggled my eyebrows and ran my finger over her bottom lip. "That could be fun, but first you're going to tell me how the conversation was getting away from you."

She nipped at my finger as I pulled it away. "It was an avalanche. Ok? I'm curious about the blackouts. I have a weird inkling, and I own that it's weird, to see myself in a porn now that I know it's been made… but going upstairs and having sex that I won't remember isn't going to happen."

"And why is that?"

"Because I'd like to remember my first time if it's alright with you."

"Your first time doing what?" I knew what she meant. I was buying time and that was the first fucking thing to come to mind. My options had been to say something or leave my mouth hanging open like a confused ape.

She huffed and rolled her eyes, shoving my thigh with her foot. "I'm a virgin you dunce. I can't touch a Human without hearing everything. I'm sure you're a God and all, but could you stay in the mood if the person you're with said every retarded thing that popped into their head?"

"I'm fortunate enough that I could shove something in their mouth to shut them up. I suppose you don't have that luxury."

"Pssh. I wish. I've tried everything. The closest I ever got to being able to be with someone was an idiot who literally didn't think a lot. Likable guy, but I couldn't do it."

"What ruined it?"

She sighed, letting the corner of her mouth turn up. "It was the straw that broke the camel's back really… I'd ignored a few stray thoughts, but what dumped ice water on the situation was when he thought about whether his mom was going to make baked beans for a cookout. It was the most random thing in the world. And I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't had a few stray thoughts too… but… that was it. Done."

"What about the Weres you know? Aren't they harder for you to read?"

"At first they were. Now that I'm around them all the time, I can kind of filter through the chaos. I can block them easier, but when I touch one, all bets are off. They might as well be Human."

"Hmmmm. So what you're saying is that you want to fuck me."

"No. I want to try the Pam option."

"Not funny."

She snickered and left the sofa to go to the kitchen. "You'd think it was if you saw that look on your face." No I wouldn't.

"You're not Pam's type."

"Liar. I'm a bottle of dye away from being exactly Pam's type since she likes brunettes. With the way I tan, I could pull of something with auburn highlights. It'd be hot. Admit it."

"Still not funny."

Sookie had opened the back door for Tina and the cat sped into the living room to jump onto my lap, aggressively begging for my attention. When Sookie came back into the room with a can of soda, she nodded towards my 'girlfriend' and giggled, "Besides, you're spoken for."

"I'll end it."

"Guys say that all the time. They don't mean it. She'd stalk you anyway… smother me in my sleep so she could have you to herself."

I wanted to argue, continue the playful conversation, but Sookie made a confusing move. Instead of sitting down on the sofa with me, she unplugged my laptop and started walking towards the back of the house with it. "Where are you going with that?"

"To lock myself in my room to try to find that video…"

"To delete it?"

"No. I want to watch it. You don't get to be the only one to see it. You gonna be a good sport and give me a hint on how to find it?"

I growled at her loud enough to startle Tina. "Just do an MP4 search. There shouldn't be more than two."

Without realizing it, I stroked that damned cat until my hands were covered in shed hair.

It was maddening to think that Sookie was watching US have sex.

I hadn't gotten as much as a real kiss from her, but she was willing to watch me fuck her.

Never fucking mind that there was a certain amount of detachment, she was watching me fuck her.

No.

Not fair.

I was anxious enough, _**crazed**_ enough, over the notion that my fucking knee was vibrating.

I raised my voice, hoping it would reach her. "Did you find it?"

She replied too coyly, "Shhhh. Wait your turn."

No.

Not fair.

Tina wasn't happy about being pushed onto the floor, but it wasn't like I cared.

I had a thousand options on how to approach the situation…

How did I go about filing my complaint?

Before Sookie realized her bedroom door had been opened, I put myself on her bed next to her. She was on her stomach, squinting at the screen… completely flushed, and my being on her bed wasn't the reason.

"When was it decided that you got to go first?"

She cleared her throat and paused the video. Her face was beet red from seeing herself wrapped around me while I fed from her neck. "Ladies first."

"And you're implying that you're a lady?"

"Why not?"

"Because you might curse and use slang more than Pam. You used the term 'dick service'. That's hardly ladylike."

She giggled, "Sorry. I spend too much time in a garage, I guess. I didn't used to cuss much at all. The guys must've rubbed off on me."

"How is the video so far? Is it something we can market?"

Somehow, her face glowed more. "They just… he just bit her…"

"And you're already blushing."

"K. Do you think porn's ever been in this house? Add that I'm in it… Dude, she doesn't seem to even care that there's a camera going… she was playing with hers…" She paused to clear her throat. "Yeah, while he made sure the camera was getting the whole bed…" Because I needed the image of Sookie masturbating in my mind after being offered 'dinner' and… fuck. Focus.

I reached over and closed the laptop. "I'll wait if you'll wait."

"I want to watch it though." So did I… more than _almost_ anything.

"If you're too embarrassed to watch it with your co-star then you might want to work up to it."

"Oh really? Let me guess, we should fuck until dawn. It'll make us both feel better."

I shrugged and unbuttoned my jeans. "If you insist."

She grabbed my hands and cackled, "Stop that!"

"It was your idea."

"Was not!"

"It was. Are you being a tease?"

"No!"

It was nearly impossible to keep from laughing at how flustered she was letting herself get. I rolled over to my back and took her hand to persuade her to come closer. She seemed to be comfortable with stopping once her body was flush to mine, but still on the bed. "You've got me. For the next three hours, I'm your toy. What do you want to do?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"Of course not. You've been given the promise that I will be passive, the only promise of the like I've ever given at that. I have experience doing anything and everything you can imagine and more. Since you're the one with all of the curiosity and none of the practice, where do you want to start?"

"Are you going to laugh at me? Because I know where you sleep."

"I promise that I won't laugh at your inexperience."

"Or be a jerk about being disappointed."

"I know that you're at a disadvantage, Sookie. I'm not going to think less of you for not being a slut."

"And you're not going to think I'm weird?"

"I doubt you could think of anything I haven't done."

She stared for long enough that I might've felt her probing my mind for hints that I wasn't being truthful.

I watched her until a slightly resigned look crossed her face.

She sighed and inched closer, putting her head on my shoulder… using one hand to pull my arm over her side and the other to lace our fingers together…

And she went completely still.

I instantly began to wonder if she was making plans, too shy to voice her wants, embarrassed that she didn't know what to do.

She hummed quietly, sliding her knee up my leg. "I told you that you'd think I'm weird."

"I wasn't thinking that you're weird. I was waiting."

"For what?"

"Anything."

"This is it."

"What? I give you free reign over me and you choose to use it by, what is this, cuddling?"

"If you had your choice, we'd be having sex, right?"

"Yes."

"I've never been able to cuddle. Even as a kid I couldn't stand to be touched." I couldn't decide if I wanted to feel sorry for her or if I wanted to promise to leave time for cuddling after we fucked.

"I was wrong."

"About what?"

"I said you couldn't think of anything I haven't done."

"Not a big cuddler, huh?" Understatement.

"No."

"Bother remembering names?"

"No."

"You gonna remember me?"

"I don't plan on letting you get away from me."

"Sorry. That's not in our cards. You have to get back to being a Sheriff and you don't have the option of having a useless pet around."

"You aren't useless."

"I would have to seem like just another bloodbag because we were warned about what would happen if the Queen found out about me being a telepath and it's not like you to have a pet… Nope. Even if you got attached to me in spite of your track record, I'd just end up being a dirty little secret you have to keep on the DL."

That's what I was left with…

Sookie dozed off and purred against my side shortly thereafter…

I laid there, with her attached to my side, warming me like nothing I'd ever experienced and trying to imagine my life without her in it…

I couldn't shake that even though I'd only met her the night before that I had the lingering sensation of knowing her for longer…

I couldn't ignore how much there was compelling me to keep her…

I was sure that I wouldn't be able to keep her safely hidden when possibly the whole Were community already knew about her…

I was actually afraid, frozen over the idea of having to leave her, and I let it consume me until I had to go upstairs just before dawn.


	6. Chapter 6

**Death's Door**

**Chapter 6**

**Too Far**

I rose to the sound of hammering and immediately heard Sookie grumble, "Shit balls," as the rate of the pounding increased.

The scurrying commotion downstairs was amusingly curious and I couldn't help but be annoyed that I had to wait to search for the reason.

My texts from Pam had piled up the night before since business was the last thing on my mind when I laid to rest.

"_I've arranged for delivery from the local bank. I'll be in Bumfuck Temps to deliver tomorrow night. Why aren't you just feeding from Sookie?" _Bitch.

"_Now that the news is out, your subjects are resurfacing. I enjoy being bowed to. Power looks stunning on me. Take your time jogging." _Conceited bitch.

"_Halloran was giddy by the time I was done explaining the details of Jason Stackhouse's trial. He left me to go directly to the jailhouse to meet with the angel." _Good girl.

"_I did some research. Children are expensive. I found two wills in the pile of confirmed dead where everything was bequeathed to a child who also died, but did so without a will. Bruce should've already transferred that money to the Fund. $1.8M and change." _**Very** good girl.

"_Kinsey said that our houses in Greenwood are the most handicapable. He knows a contractor who can fit them with ramps and such if you want."_

"_We need to do something about replacing Bobby. I don't like not having a Day Guy. I missed an unmissable sale."_ I had to laugh at her. I almost felt sorry for Bobby while he was still her fashion mule.

I replied to each one in turn so that she'd have answers waiting when she rose.

"See you then."

"Are any of the resurfacing Vampires from the list of missing/dead? Be careful. My jog could become a marathon. I'm quite comfortable here."

"Sookie spoke to the detective yesterday. There are more recent victims even though Stackhouse is incarcerated. Give him Coughlin's contact information."

"Inspired. Keep looking for other wills."

"Have Boseman start the renovation on my house. The maimed Were has a child so he'll need the bigger house."

"I'm not sure I'll be able to find a proper day guy in 'Bumfuck Temps'. I'll do what I can, brat."

I'd gathered my things so that I could shower once the sun was fully set and as I waited, I heard Sookie begin slamming doors shut and start running up the stairs.

She was breathless by the time she reached the landing, slamming the door to the other room upstairs. "Hey!"

"Hello. Are you being chased?"

"Nonono… I just ran out of time."

"What did you run out of time doing?"

"Open the door and find out."

"Open the door?"

"Yeah. I slept great last night and my lump was in rare form… well, with a lack of worry on my plate, I got to think about something else for once. I had an idea. C'mon."

As worried as she'd been about her makeshift light proofing being enough, I knew she wouldn't invite me to step into the sunlit hallway, but I was still cautious as I pulled the door open. She was smiling from ear to ear with her eyes wide and her hands on her hips. Even though there were windows on either side of the front door, the light in the hall was only coming from the bulbs in the ceiling fixture.

"I didn't get to the bathroom or the bedrooms, but the living room and kitchen are safe. I hate that you were stuck up here for an hour yesterday."

I smiled at her. "What did you do?"

She lurched forward to grab my hand and tugged until I followed her down the stairs. The smells of sawdust and fresh paint were discernable, but Sookie's sweat was like honey… "I was up early enough to run a couple errands… I went to the hardware store and bought a few things."

The windows flanking the front door were blocking the sunlight in spite of the new stained glass, argyle pattern in blues and pinks that had taken the place of the simple, clear pane that had been there before.

"How did you block the sunlight?"

"You like it? I'm pretty proud of myself… There's this stuff that you can use to make stained glass patterns on regular glass. I did that on the windows, right? And I had mirrors cut to fit in the frame of the windows. You have to wait until it's completely dark to check it out, but it takes a minute from the outside to realize that there's a mirror behind the 'stained glass'. What you're looking at there is, back to front- the actual 'stained glass' window, mirror facing out, plywood, mirror facing in, and a 'stained glass' panel. You have to _**look**_ _look_ to tell that the first floor is light tight."

"Is it permanent?"

She shook her head. "Best part. It's held in with magnetic stripping, like for a fridge door. It looks like part of the molding. The wood's really old and brittle. I didn't want to mess it up."

Genius. Impressive. _And unforgettably touching_. "You did this by yourself?"

She nodded excitedly and started pulling me towards the kitchen. "You don't grow up without a father and not learn how to pound a few nails… not when Gran refused to hire help. She always said, 'if you don't know how to do it, it's time to learn'."

The window over the kitchen sink had seemingly gotten the same treatment, but the large pane of glass in the back the door had been more obviously obscured. She'd placed a blackboard over it.

She nodded towards it. "That's permanent, but I did the stained glass thing behind it so you still can't tell from the outside. I never liked having that window there and I'm bad about losing lists… you might find partial ones all over the place. I was going to get a dry-erase board, but I thought the chalkboard fit into the old fashioned kitchen better."

I nodded, agreeing despite my loss for words. So much thought had gone into what she'd done… so much work… _for me_.

She led me out of the kitchen, en route to the 'pièce _de_ résistance'.

The curtains in the living room had been taken down and she'd hung shutters over the three large windows in the room.

I hadn't been able to think of much to say and didn't want to seem ungrateful… that was the last thing I wanted, so I offered, "Do these appear to be stained glass from the yard as well?"

"Yep. They got the same window paint and all… The shutters used to hang outside. Me and Jason took them down a few years back when a hurricane broke a bunch. I'll open them in a little bit, but everyone that you see has one under it. And there's a piece of sheet metal sandwiched in between. I just scrubbed them down and painted them black so the weather stripping wouldn't stand out. I even used the same hardware because… well, it had a pretty patina on them from being outside."

"Thank you." It was all I could think at the time. Over and over. _Thankyouthankyouthankyou_… She'd spent her day light-proofing her home…

She hadn't hired someone to do it… not that she could afford it, but she'd painstakingly used her own hands to make her home more comfortable… _for me_.

Seeing it all, the trouble she went to, the steps she took…

It made the ideas I took to rest with me all the more painful. The fact that Sookie was completely realistic about the likelihood of us being able to be together made her gesture more touching. She'd put so much effort into something so temporary…

My chest was haunted with an agonizing ache. Walking away from Sookie wasn't going to be possible.

I had to find a way to keep her.

I hadn't realized that I was gaping at the sealed windows until Sookie stepped into my line of sight. "I'm not getting ahead of myself or anything, if that's what you're thinking. I know your vacation is going to end soon."

"That's not what I'm thinking."

"If Gran could've, she'd have done every bit of it for Jan. I got most of the ideas from her head. She used to daydream about making it safe because she had an idea of how bad the other house was… _the wealth of mice and all._.."

I nodded, wishing I could remember more about the woman who'd been so kindhearted.

"If you're trying to figure out how much it cost, stop. The money I used came straight out of the other Eric's wallet."

I shook my head. It had crossed my mind, but I didn't want to insult her by putting a price on her kindness.

"Those other telepaths might be able to hear Vampires, but I'm lost… Eric, are you… _Are you speechless?_"

I nodded, slightly distracted by new information. "Are you going to make fun of me?"

She bit her lip and shook her head. "No… _but I'm gonna cry…_" She wrapped her arms around my ribs and tucked her head under my chin. She sniffled, "I'm glad you like it… as quiet as you were, I was starting to wonder."

"I've told you how I feel about your tears, haven't I?"

She choked out a giggle as she stepped back and wiped her face. "Suck it up. I'm allowed happy tears, especially since it's been a while."

"Then while you're already leaking, I'll tell you now… Pam relayed the message that the lawyer should've already met with your brother and is excited to take his case."

She wiped her eyes and sniffled again. "Good thinking then… that would've gotten me going again."

I couldn't help but smile. "Is this what you did all day?"

She shook her head and took my hand, towing me back to the kitchen. "No sir. After some awesome sleep, I felt like making myself a proper breakfast for once. I ran to the hardware store and spent most of the day on the windows. I squeezed in some time in the sun while I waited for the paint and window tint to dry. Then I went to the garage to help Tray with the meeting."

"How did that go?"

She gave a single nod and leaned over the table full of items that I'd overlooked while she was showing off her ingenuity. "Glad you asked. This pile is families with foster kids. They're clipped together by household and the parents are on top. Their own kids' info is written on the back of their aps, but the foster kids have their own forms… this pile is nothing but widows and widowers who need some debt relief. Tray wanted more specifics on how you want them helped because you said widows are included, but…"

"Anything they need, just like the orphans."

She nodded and shifted that pile to rest on top of the others. "I figured if you had exceptions, you'd have already voiced them. Just making sure… This pile is folks who took in orphans, but didn't want for anything. So the orphans' info is there for the college trusts you mentioned… This is Keira and Chester's info since you mentioned a special house…"

I nodded. "I have news on that too. The property manager should be starting renovations to make my house in Greenwood more accessible. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. There isn't much lawn though because I had a pool installed."

Sookie's smile widened. "Keira will love it and the pool will give Chester a way to workout. He's already getting hydro-therapy at the hospital."

I nodded. "And the last pile?"

"That… is something _special_. Remember the widows I mentioned yesterday? Danielle and Stephanie?"

"Six children, including the three they reached out to."

"That's them. Tray and I told them about the house before the meeting. They had happy tears too. Lots of them. By the end of the meeting, they volunteered to take in 5 more kids, fixing the last of the temporary placement problems since everyone else had jumped on the bandwagon once they found out their housing and income woes went away because of the relief fund."

"The two of them are caring for 11 children? They're a bit outnumbered, aren't they?"

She shook her head. "They met working at a day care. They know what they're doing. Only one is an infant and a couple of the kids are tweens and really willing to help out just because they won't be getting taken away from younger siblings to be raised in Human homes."

"After one meeting, all of the children will be taken care of?"

She nodded. "Tray told me to tell you that he owes you a blow job and wants to know where to buy everything…" She leafed through a notebook and held it out to me. "Furniture, cars and clothes…"

"He has a lot to do. Maybe you could take care of that for him. And why do I care where he buys mattresses and school clothes?"

"He'd be better at it than I would. At least he knows how one should start and he thought you might be able to point him in the direction of some Vampire owned businesses. You know, since you're hooking up his Weres, he'd spread the wealth to your Vampires where he could. He got a list of sizes and he's going shopping tomorrow."

"Jeans aren't that complicated."

She laughed, "Would you focus!?"

"I am focused. You start by opening your mouth…"

"You don't stop, do you?"

"No, you keep going until…"

The face she pulled was pained as she interrupted, "The bag has your thank you gift in it. Steph and Dani wanted to show their appreciation to the Vampire responsible for helping out. Steph dropped it off a little while ago. I'm going to get a shower…"

I let her get most of the way down the hall before I snuck up behind her and pulled her against me. I pushed my face against her neck to steal some of her before she could wash it away. "Would you like some help?"

She whimpered, "Sure… but Pam is all the way in Shreveport."

"Not funny."

"Yes it is."

"No…"

"What would she do if she came by and I laid a long tonguey kiss on her?" It would be a 'goodbye kiss'. If Pam enjoyed it too much, I'd punish her by sending her to tend to something in a country that required her to wear a burqa.

"The better question is, what would I do?"

"Brat. Is this one of those, 'I saw her first' things?" Absolutely and I had a 3 month lead.

"Maybe."

"Does it count that she saw me naked first?" No. Not funny.

"When did she see you naked?"

"When she took me to her place so that I'd have more than your underwear to wear…" She paused to start giggling, "She'll be easy for me to shop for. She said my nipples were her favorite shade of pink." Not fucking funny.

"You changed in front of her?"

She shrugged as much as my hold would allow. "When in Rome… I mean it's not like she was _**shy**_. And… damn… _maybe I should stop shopping with Weres_. I guess shifting makes nudity a nonpoint."

I growled against her neck. "Not. Funny."

She giggled, "You don't get to be such a turd. I mean, you turned me down last night. Pam didn't insist on fucking me before she fed from me." That wasn't what I was waiting for… and… did she say Pam fed from her? _**NOT FUNNY.**_

I let her go to take a step away from her. "Excuse me?"

"Do Makers and children not, like… _share_?"

"Tell me that you're joking."

"I really want to know… I mean, you're into women and Pam's into women… _soooo_…"

"I don't share."

"So… would I already be Pam's or something… does feeding from a person, like_, I don't know_…"

"No."

"Oh. Ok." She turned around and went into the bathroom while I was still too stunned to react…. But she started laughing as soon as the door was closed.

"What are you laughing about? I'm not amused." Not in the least.

She was close to hysterics by the time the door opened and she came out to the hall. She was shaking her head with tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry. _That wasn't fair_… **mean** even."

"You were teasing me?"

I might've thought that she felt guilty if she wasn't still laughing when she cringed. "I'm sorry."

"Pam didn't feed from you?"

"Of course not."

"That was cruel."

"It was _easy_… you've gotta loosen up. I mean, come on Eric… _shopping with Weres?_ When have I had the spare time or cash to go a'viking at the mall?"

"She hasn't seen you nude?"

"Oh, she saw _enough_ when I was trying to change modestly… how the hell else would I know what her favorite shade of pink is… _but at least Pam didn't walk in on me in the tub._"

"This was payback?"

She nodded and patted my chest, still grinning mischievously. "For the tub thing yes… And I'm _**really sorry**_ for pushing the joke with the feeding bit."

I stared at her. It had been so long that I couldn't remember since I'd fallen for a joke like the one she played. Pam certainly hadn't ever managed… I was too impressed given that 3 minutes earlier I was ready to kill something. She hadn't even lied to push me… her answers had only implied… I **was** impressed… proud of her wile.

I narrowed my eyes. "You're going to pay for that."

Sookie was already done with her shower and on her way down the hall when I came in from leaving Tina to play… After I'd remembering the small amount of my lost time, I was sure that Tina had just become accustomed to getting her mice early in the evening because I delivered them when I first came to visit.

I sat at the table in silence while I copied the information from the forms into an Excel document… Sookie moved around me warily… she was laying low.

I only spoke to her when she tried to take a basket of laundry out to the porch. I warned her, bitingly enough to be convincing, that her cat was eating dinner so she left the basket by the door.

Once I was done with my project, I walked past her without a word to go take my own shower and she whimpered when I closed the door behind me.

Giving Sookie the silent treatment had been more difficult than I thought… I chuckled through most of my shower and dragged it out so that she could be rankled by silence. She'd come in long enough to whisper repentantly, "Fresh towel."

When I stepped out of the shower, I found a Ziploc bag marked 'peace offering' under my towel.

I knew.

I knew what that shirt was.

The white undershirt she'd worn while she was at my house…

I knew what she'd done to it too.

I have no idea how long I stood there staring at the fucking bag like I was waiting for it to do a trick before I forced myself to wear the shirt I'd already chosen.

I couldn't.

I couldn't even let myself open it, take a test, a sample of the scent boasted about in the journals…

Wearing the shirt would've implied forgiveness and I 'needed' to continue Sookie's silent treatment.

I also couldn't be more relieved that I'd decided on instant Karma for Sookie. Judging by the distance, Pam was only a few minutes away…

1- Pam would arrive. 2- Pam and I would discuss business matters. 3- Pam would leave. 4- I'd get my payback. 5- I'd get my shirt. 6-Happy ending…

I could wait an hour.

I could _try_…

I left the bathroom (and the company of that promising shirt) when Pam finally knocked on the front door.

I moved past Sookie to beat her to the door and opened it myself. "Invite her in."

Sookie gaped, her eyes never left the black T-shirt on my body. "I… I never uninvited her… Come on in, Pam." I hated the defeated look on her face enough to almost talk myself into ruining my volley.

Pam gave a chilly nod in Sookie's direction. "A pleasure to see you again, Sookie."

I hadn't waited for them to greet each other and went to the kitchen while Sookie was still offering a True Blood to Pam. Since Pam had just received several pints of fresh blood, she declined, but Sookie still followed Pam into the kitchen.

She reached into the refrigerator for a bottle of something called 'Fuze' and point to the large gift bag on the table to bring it to Pam's attention. "Um… that's a thank you gift from a couple of the girls in the pack. It's meant for Eric, but since you're getting the blame for the charity…"

"Wait. _**I'm**_ getting blamed?"

I explained, "So that my guilt doesn't come across as benevolence. Dawson knows I'm the one he should come to for anything, but the other Weres still think of me as an asshole. All the while, you look like the patron saint of Shreveport's Weres."

"This is because of my write-offs, isn't it?"

"Your write-offs will help sell the story."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Ok… Continue Sookie."

Sookie cleared her throat, still not making eye contact with me. "Anyway… Since they think it was you, they had me 'guess' your size. They make clothes as a side-line."

Pam raised an eyebrow and approached the bag carefully. She used the tip of her fingernail to pull the lip of the bag down as though she was expecting something to jump out of the bag…

What actually happened was that a handbag tumbled out onto the table.

Pam hummed appreciatively as she lifted it for inspection. It was black, silk from the look of it, with hot pink satin trim and stitching. Pam hadn't needed to 'try it on' for me to know it was perfect for her.

Sookie grinned and waited patiently while Pam happily moved everything from her Mischka bag to her new one. Watching Pam only solidified my theory that the huge bags she carried were superfluous. No more than she'd been carrying, I could've fit it all in my pockets.

When Pam was done, Sookie reached into the gift bag to pull out a small black satin pouch tied with a ribbon. "They don't do boxes because it keeps costs down."

Pam's eyes lit up as she eagerly yanked the ribbon away and her fangs ran out when she peeked inside. Histrionic brat. She was kicking off her frilly, feathered Mischka pumps before she pulled her new shoes out to slide the new ones on.

They would've looked like every other pair of 'sky-high' black peep-toes she owned if it weren't for the hot pink satin ribbon at the ankles that she asked Sookie to tie for her.

As Pam paced the small kitchen, Sookie asked, "Do they fit? I had to guess."

"They're perfect… You said they do this as a side-business?"

Sookie nodded and left the room for a moment, returning with a garment bag from the coat closet. "They'll be really excited that you like it. They were worried that you'd kinda be… blah. It's not like I told them about you or anything."

It pained Pam to not rip into the garment bag right away. She stared down the length of her nose at Sookie. "What. About. Me?"

"That you like clothes or you have a thing for pink. This is just what they could do to thank you. It's not like you need anything from a couple of housewives."

"I might NEED to see pictures of their other work. Do you have any idea how much I miss shopping?"

Sookie stepped back and held the garment bag up for Pam and as soon as Pam unzipped the bag, she gasped, as though it was necessary. "Eric! If I can't bring Christian over, can I…"

"No."

"But…"

"No. I told you, if you want to be a Maker, you can turn Carrot Top. You deserve to have the same pain in your ass that I've had."

She hissed and removed the hanger from the bag… and had Sookie unzip the dress she was wearing.

Fucking brat. She'd always been horrible when it came to clothing. It was more than an addiction. It was as though she replaced her need for air with her need of having couture from head to toe… Stints in safe-houses with her had always been amusing. If I bothered to dress at all, I'd worn the simplest of clothing. She still wore clothing that suggested she was expecting high tea with a fucking queen.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed though. The dress was black silk with simple lines, but the inset of hot pink smocking across the bust echoed fashion from Pam's lifetime… there was a high slit up the back of the tight skirt that revealed a panel of pink chiffon… and the suit jacket was lined with pink satin, but the only visible pink was on the buttons.

It was a beautiful suit. The ensemble was professional, yet feminine and I knew exactly what was coming before her mouth was open…

"I want a hundred." Bingo.

Sookie grinned, but not as wide as I would've thought given how much money Pam's obsession would earn for her friends. "I'll call them if you want me too."

Pam nodded, but I answered, "Pam and I have business to discuss. You should call them from another room."

I watched her throat clench. She was close to tears when she left the kitchen.

Rather than whispering, I opted for Swedish. Not only would Pam be annoyed, but Sookie wouldn't know about anything we were discussing. She'd think I was angry enough to keep secrets. "The cat is taken care of?"

"In place as ordered. Laying it on a little thick, aren't we?"

"She had me convinced that you fed from her. What would I do to you if you did the same?"

"Who knows… but you wouldn't feel so guilty about retaliating against me."

"She… tried to apologize since I've talked to you."

"Ah, yet you continue to torture her with your battle-face… nice to see the asshole in you hasn't suffered. How's the jogging coming along?"

"I've gotten a few moments back. Just enough to be left with more questions."

"She's sealed the house for you?"

I nodded. "She did it today."

"She's very sweet, _your little southern delicacy_. She's heartbroken that you seem upset with her." Pam paused as Sookie walked through the foyer to go outside with a bag of garbage and her phone to her ear. "Have you made any concrete plans?"

"No. I'm trying to think of a way to keep her. I'm worried that Mine or not, word about the telepath from my Area will still reach the Queen. Sookie's been heavily involved with the Weres in the Area."

"I have faith in you. You're a devious prick. You'll come up with something."

"Aw, Pam. That's sweet."

"I try…" She smiled and spun on her heel. "Hey, did you see my new ensemble?"

I couldn't help but laugh at her. "It's fabulous. Are you thinking about sharing with the rest of the world?"

"I'm thinking I'll propose modeling their wares for them so that they can start a proper website, then I can send my boutique friends to it. Sound plan?"

"Obviously, you'd see the first of their lines, but by and large it's very generous of you."

She shrugged. "Of course it is. I'm a giver."

"And I'm so proud… So, business, yes? Did you hear from Halloran today?"

"He's managed to set a meeting with the State's Attorney. When I spoke to him he was planning to track down Coughlin. He's appalled that Stackhouse doesn't seem bright enough to help in his own defense. He isn't giving lawyer answers either. Surprising."

"Lawyer answers?"

"You know, Vampire answers, but wrapped in cheap suits. He isn't forcing insufferably neutral replies down my throat. He's confident that Jason Stackhouse will be released. He's imagining soon."

"Good. And the house for Chester Stone?" Sookie came back into the house and seemingly went to the living room to sulk submissively.

"The contractor is meeting Boseman for an estimate in the morning. It'll be done for pocket change. Low five figures… Why did you text about the returning Vampires?"

"Sookie has a theory that there are more survivors than you think. The Weres of Shreveport went into seclusion quickly. Most of them left for rural areas…"

"Hence her unprecedented circle of two-natured friends."

"Exactly. She's assuming that my disappearance might've sparked similar actions in the Vampire community. She's hoping that they were smart like you were and…"

She rolled her eyes. "Smart my ass. Hiding was an act of desperation. If I hadn't felt you so close, I'd have jumped town like a rat from a sinking ship. You were the only thing keeping me here. And yes, I've heard from 22 Vampires that I'd written off."

"Relocated?"

"Yes… are the Weres Sookie's only reason to suspect?"

"No… I still don't remember taking Fangtasia. Sookie said the other Sookie…"

"Uppity Sookie."

I huffed, "Sookie-with-potential mentioned that Uppity-Sookie surprised Hallow."

Pam nodded. "You and I were positioned at the front door. The other Eric was with the Sookies at the back…"

"Tactical reasons to split up?"

"The Sookies were using him to focus their thoughts to try and identify how many were inside and what they were doing… Uppity Sookie was coaching because she has experience with Witches from working with Paulette and can identify blood-users telepathically. Our Sookie remained focused to make sure they weren't alerted to our presence somehow and Uppity Sookie came closer to us once the fire started to let us know how many possible 'screaming alphas'…"

"What the fuck is a screaming alpha?"

"Uppity Sookie taught me something. A 'Class A' fire is a fire with an organic core that leaves ashes. A is for Alpha… and they tend to scream and flail, don't they… stop interrupting. We're getting off topic… Uppity Sookie was on her way to us. She'd just whispered '14' when Hallow and her retarded brother circled around behind us. She moved in and stopped 10 feet behind them and whistled. When they turned to her, we grabbed them. Badda-bing Badda-boom. She dragged the Wiccunts…"

"You really love that word, don't you?"

She cooed, "_More than you know_… Anyway, dead Witches blocked the front door and we joined the others in the back. A little fight and a lot of draining later. All done. Plague cured."

I nodded. "My Sookie…"

Pam teased, "Already?" Yes.

"Shut up. My Sookie doesn't think that Hallow was still draining Vampires for their blood. Hallow should've smelled the other Sookie before she was so close."

"_Ooooh._ Fair point. Haven't you found a smart one."

"Smart, at the very least."

"How many times have you watched the video?"

"I've lost count."

"So you've memorized the part where I told you that you care for her."

"Yes."

"It's not true anymore. I'm pretty sure you love her now."

I growled at her. "What's your point?"

"Only to let you know what that is. I'm sure it feels alien to you."

"And how would you know?"

She smiled and stretched to kiss my cheek. "Because I have you..." She stepped back to spin again. "Did you see my new ensemble?"

I chuckled and swatted her ass. "Go. Play Sheriff. Thank you for the delivery."

She laughed on her way out, "Take care of my Armani. Call if you need anything. And make sure you tell those women that I'm going to make them millionairesses."

I followed her outside so that I could look at the front windows. Sookie hadn't been exaggerating. At first glance, the windows didn't seem blocked. "Not alone, you won't."

She hissed as she slid into her car and left.

My first order of business was blood. Something had to be done about my cravings.

After two pints of mediocre donations that I didn't bother warming, I started aligning my volley.

I resumed work at my laptop and called out to Sookie to ask Dawson's email address.

Her posture when she entered the kitchen could only be described as 'sagging'. "I wouldn't know it. I don't do a lot on a computer. You can call him though…"

As I assumed she would, she took Pam's discarded dress and hung it, placing the abandoned bag and shoes in the bottom of the garment bag to be stored in the coat closet.

When she returned from the foyer, she grabbed the laundry basket to resume the chore…

And as soon as she stepped out, she gasped and dropped the basket. The bald cat waltzed into the house as though she owned it, licking her face after her meal while Sookie gaped at her.

I sat back, doing nothing more than inviting the cat onto my lap by showing her that it was empty.

She took the bait too eagerly.

I stared at Sookie, waiting for her reaction while I stroked the appallingly bald feline.

"YOU…!"

"Yes Sookie?"

"I apologized for crossing a line I didn't know about!"

I nodded. "You did."

"And to get back at me… You shaved my cat!"

I grinned at her in spite of wanting to laugh. "What? Too much?"

She looked horrified, infuriated and close to tears. "Yeah! Yeah, it is too much…" She stomped over to snatch the cat out of my lap and cradle her protectively. She left the room and snarled, "Get your shit." Uh oh.

"Sookie…"

She never turned around as she headed for the back of the house. "Don't make me say 'it'. Get your shit and move on."


	7. Chapter 7

**Death's Door**

**Chapter 7**

**Pussy**

Panic had already started to set in before she slammed her bedroom door behind her. I hadn't meant for her to be so upset. I'd meant for her to see through the joke after only a moment.

I went after her, barely setting foot in the hallway when she sobbed, "Don't you dare! Go away! I can't even look at you right now!"

Of course I wasn't going to listen, but when I tried to open her door, she was leaning against it. "If you can't look at me, then look at the cat."

She sniffled and wailed, "_**Look at her?**_ I can't help but look at her! You're horrible! I can't… I can't even…"

"Sookie, listen to me…"

She shrieked, "Fuck you! I don't have to listen to you! Did you think this would be funny!?" Hilarious. I was _wrong_.

"Sookie, if you just let me explain…"

"Do you really think you could say anything to make this better!?"

"Yes."

She swung the door open and leaned against the wall next to the door so that her raised eyebrow was the first thing I saw. "K. Let's hear it then." She wasn't showing signs of being the slightest bit upset. She waited for a moment before she giggled, "Are we even or are we just going to keep going back and forth?"

"You were just pretending to be angry." I had to wonder why she wouldn't be angry about a naked cat though.

"Oh, I'd be plenty pissed if you'd actually shaved Tina. That would've been beautiful though. _I'll give you that._"

"You knew?"

She set Armani down, smirking. "_Look at me…_ smarter than the average blond." And too proud of herself.

"How?"

"Does it matter? You didn't get me. End of story." Yes. Yes it fucking mattered. I shouldn't be so out of practice. I couldn't be rusty.

"Yes. It matters. Tell me."

She shook her head while she giggled and took a step back.

I growled, "_**Soookie…**_"

She took another step away from me, still too amused.

"When I first rose, you revealed that you'd made the impressively thoughtful gesture of meticulously light-proofing your house for me, but since then you've just been wicked."

She inched away again and cackled, "_OH!_ You _soooo_ asked for that! And I want to point out that you called in reinforcements and you still failed… _**epic fail!**_" She punctuated my nose-rubbing by sticking her tongue out like an insolent child.

"How did you know?"

"Was that Versace or Armani? I can't remember which one hates you."

"Versace hates me. That's Armani. _You met them?_"

She wiggled her eyebrows. "Yeah… you know, when I was at Pam's to grab clothes." Fuck fuck fuck.

Worse… "Pam knew."

"I guess she was staying out of it." No… No, she was putting herself directly in the middle of 'it'. She was sitting in her car laughing at my expense.

Without warning I grabbed Sookie, took her to the bed, and pinned her. "You're a nasty little bitch when you want to be. I thought you hated me."

She used her thumbs to push up the corners of my mouth. "Smile."

"Why would I smile?"

"Because you had fun in spite of _**losing**_." _**That**_ was why it was so hard to keep my smile to myself.

I ran my fangs out. "I. Hate. Losing."

"Then smile because…. _you're finally between my legs?_"

I chuckled in spite of trying to seem like a sore loser.

She smiled from ear to ear and rested her hands on my shoulders. "That's better."

"Fine. You won. How did you win?"

"You gave yourself away… and I cheated."

"How did I give myself away?"

She chided playfully, "Well, first thing you have to do is remember that I can feel when you're full of shit. When you locked down while we were still in the hall together, you weren't pissed. You were trying to think of a way to pay me back."

"How is it that you can distinguish that?"

"When you're in a negative mood, your mind is dark and heavy, like when you woke up to me and Pam in your house… when you're having fun, it's much lighter. While we took our showers, you were having fun planning things."

"Compare mine to Pam's."

She grinned. "No contest. Hers is much smaller. The other Sookie told me that it's an age thing... Her mind is shades of gray… Yours ranges from bright white to pitch black. And yes, I could tell that she was in on it… which is why I eavesdropped on the first part of your conversation."

"We spoke in Swedish though."

She giggled, "Sweetie, vad tror du att du gjorde när du och Gran höll varandra sällskap?" Read, talk… wait. Fuck! {"Sweetie, what do you think you did while you and Gran were keeping each other company?"}

I groaned, "_The cheating…_ I'd started teaching her how to speak Swedish?"

"I gave you a hint the other night… in the bathroom, I told you to…"

I finished, "GÅ BORT… I should've known." Or at least asked where she'd heard it.

"I was running out of ways to get you to leave without having you yanked out of the house."

"You learned Swedish from listening to your grandmother replay lessons in her head." Brilliant.

"Well, for the two months she was learning, yeah. You must be a good teacher. She seemed to be picking it up pretty quick."

"My _accidental student_ seems to have learned enough. Is there anything else that I should know?"

"Nope… well, I almost kissed Pam after the way you barked at me to invite her in."

"You might have tried."

"I think I'm confused." Judging by the coyness in her voice and grin, she was anything but confused.

Playing along, I asked, "What's confusing you?"

"How is it that you think you have any claim over me when, at most, you flirt with me… Why shouldn't I be able to kiss someone who's sexy and available?"

"Because you're Mine."

"How am I Yours? How are you sure that you aren't confusing your admittedly _rarely experienced_ emotions? You're probably just thinking there's more to me because you aren't used to having someone do a favor they aren't already thinking of how to get repaid for."

"I'm not going to deny that altruism is rare, but…"

"And maybe you're just tempted because you can't have me."

"I can have you… I will."

She sighed, "Eric, I get it. We've both seen that 'We' are possible… Hell, I'll go as far as saying that 'Eric and Sookie' are good together, but the thing with the Queen is a problem. I don't want to start something we can't finish. You're here now, but what happens next week? Next month? You can't stay here forever."

"Why not? I like it here."

"Bon Temps or between my legs?"

"Both."

She giggled, "Honestly. We can't really be together. We can't get away with it."

"Do you want me to leave?"

She bit her lip again and shook her head.

"Then give me some time. I'll think of something… I'm worried that you may still be discovered since your ability isn't a secret to Weres."

"Yeah… but… are you thinking that the skipping thing is why the Queen would be interested?"

"No. I'll read the journal more thoroughly, but I'm sure we can hide the skips. The temptation I'm concerned about is your ability."

"But I'm not the only telepath. She needs to just get her own."

I nodded, smirking to goad her. "That's right… because you already belong to someone."

She narrowed her eyes. "I belong to me."

"_For now_… I have to ask. You've mentioned other telepaths. How do you know them?" She'd referred to them twice in passing as though I already knew about them.

"Already lining something up for when you outgrow me?"

"Stop that. I'm not going to get bored with you… Who are the other telepaths?"

She shrugged. "I dunno… They're in Dallas, Baton Rouge, some little town called Isola in Missipp… The other Sookie mentioned them… She said it was all in the journal."

"So you don't know them personally? You aren't related to them?"

She shook her head. "It's kind of cool though. I always thought I was the only one…" Her eyes rolled up while she seemed to be trying to remember. "I think Sookie said that it was in September's entries. Those two actually started going around looking for more people with abilities."

"How did they do that?"

"Because one of the telepaths they found had a mom who killed herself after years of being treated for schizophrenia. You know, _hearing voices_. Since my mother was close to locking me up, they had the idea to start going to mental hospitals while they were traveling… They found a bunch of people that didn't belong in a loony bin. Not just telepaths."

"We should read the Blue pages soon then. What were the differences that you know of?"

"Blue Sookie was with that Vampire named Bill for a while. Rene noticed, of course, and killed Gran trying to get to her."

"Rene killed Adele?"

"_**That**_ Rene did…"

"Same thing. There are certain constants that are unavoidable. It seems that Pam is always a brat, Adele is always an eager student of her surroundings, and you are always the most fascinating little thing I've ever come across. If _**A**_ Rene killed Adele, then all of them would." And it didn't matter that he hadn't laid a hand on her since Adele's health deteriorated because her grandson was on trial for Rene's crimes.

She shrugged again. "Ok. I'll buy that, but what's your point?"

"My point… is that while Coughlin is trying to connect 8 cases of murdered fangbangers, and Halloran is looking for legal loopholes…"

She gasped, covering her mouth. "The other Sookie said she used herself as bait! Eric…"

"We don't have to if you don't want to, but I think that I could do something for you…" Help her since supporting her proved to be tricky.

"You want to go out and get him to come after me? Like let him get into the house and then we can call the cops…" Or let him get into the house and then take his head from his shoulders.

I nodded because I didn't want to encourage her decision.

She seemed to think about it for a few minutes before she finally shook her head. "No. No, we can't… You could be recognized."

"If that's what you're worried about, don't. I'll be recognized eventually. I can't 'have amnesia' forever. I'm going to be forced to call the Queen in a couple of nights no matter how much I'm enjoying my 'vacation'."

"He'd be at Merlotte's. Arlene would be working tonight since I quit and he waits for her. She doesn't know he's a killer, so she's scared to work after dark."

"I can fuck you on a table to get our point across…"

She cackled my correction, "_**I'll get something for dinner**_ since I was too busy to eat much today… Ok… we have plans… get off me…"

"Kiss me first."

She shook her head. "_**Bite me**__ first_."

"I'm not going to…"

She scoffed, "I'm not talking about a damn 'candle lit dinner'. I just need some freakin' fang marks to sell it and you're not allowed to bite in public."

"Then you'll kiss me."

She rolled her eyes teasingly. "Ok, fine, I'll kiss you."

"That wasn't a question."

She grinned as she lifted her head enough to gather her hair away from her neck. The little bit of squirming she did was encouraging in the worst possible way and I picked the wrong time to realize that Sookie hadn't argued about the position we'd been in while we talked…

She tilted her chin up and to the side and all I could I do was watch her pulse move, mock me, make me forget that I'd just fed…

I had to force my fangs back so that I could numb her neck… easier said than done.

All she did was make it harder to behave.

_It tickled_, or so she said, so she giggled and squirmed and when I told her to be still, she accused me of tickling her intentionally.

I was tempted to demonstrate the difference… but not stupid enough.

I did myself the favor of biting her high… the yahoos at Merlotte's wouldn't know that the placement was off, and I didn't need the encouragement from nicking her artery. The tease of her blood on my lips was hard enough to ignore.

I was sure that I'd never had blood that tasted so pure. So perfect…

Sweet and unbelievably rich… Just a few drops made me feel like I'd been starved… I was a walking chasm that needed to be filled with her.

Sookie didn't make the slightest conscious noise until I'd been lost staring at her neck for a while.

She ran her fingers through my hair to get my attention. "Ok, now kiss me so we can get going."

I shook my head. "No. Change of plans. I'm postponing our plans with Rene until tomorrow night."

"Why?"

"Because tonight, we'll stay here so I can fuck you and bite you until dawn."

"As appealing as you make that sound, we should get going." _Stop the presses_.

"The idea appeals to you?"

She growled and lifted her mouth to mine, fulfilling our verbal contract while I was too baffled by what she'd said to do anything about it. "All done. Let's go."

"That was hardly a kiss and…"

"That was hardly a bite. We're even. Let's go. Get off."

"I'm not sure I can. You said that the idea of being fucked all night was tempting."

"I said 'appealing'…" She paused and huffed, "Roll us over at least."

Since she wasn't asking to break contact, I couldn't argue. I held her hips and pulled her as I rolled to my back, still perfectly happy to be between her legs no matter what the position.

She stacked her fists on my chest and rested her chin on them. "I'm getting the feeling that you're pretty possessive by nature. Am I right?"

"In certain circumstances, I'm very possessive."

"So if we start sleeping together are you going to get more possessive?"

"Definitely."

"Then your proposal is getting shot down because we need you to keep a level head. Not only do we need to cause a controlled ruckus at Merlotte's, but if luck is on our side, we're having a serial killer over later."

"To clarify, the only reason that we're not staying in to fuck our way through the house… is because you think I can't remain objective."

"No. I'm stalling because I have no idea of what to do with you…"

"If you don't know how, it's time to learn."

She sat up quickly as she cackled, "I don't think Gran was talking about sex!" I lifted, pushing her hips down and making her whimper.

"I'm sure she wasn't speaking specifically about light proofing either, but it works for sex too."

She was still smiling as she mumbled, "Maybe…" and laid over to reach under her pillow. She pulled out her Ziplocked peace offering and sat up again to show it to me. "But this'll have to do for now."

For the second time that night I'd been tempted enough by clothing that Pam would've had the chance to return a few jokes I'd made about her over the years.

Sookie crooned, "_I know you want it…_ Vampire crack, right? It's what Sookie called it in the journal."

"You're trying to distract me."

"It's working." And?

"I still want to fuck you. The shirt isn't going to remedy that." If anything, wearing Sookie's scent could make things worse.

She shrugged and cracked the seal on the bag to sniff it. "I don't get it. Maybe I didn't do it right… It doesn't smell like anything to me."

She wasn't done speaking before the smell of sunlight reached me. It hadn't taken but a tiny break in the seal for the scent to be strong enough to draw my attention. "Because you're used to it… In the spring honeysuckle begins to bloom and the air is rich with its fragrance, yes?"

She grinned as she nodded. "It's starting to come back already. I ate breakfast on the porch to enjoy it this morning."

"It doesn't stop blooming until well into the fall, but you stop noticing it after a couple of months."

"Good point. I never thought about it."

"Yet after only a few months, you enjoy the scent enough that you basked in it this morning… I haven't smelled sunshine in over a thousand years."

"Why not hang your clothes out on the line to dry?" I couldn't take my eyes from the bag.

"Because it makes clothing smell like baked grass. There's something about your chemistry that makes you smell sweet in spite of your surroundings and when you've been in the sun, its scent transfers…"

"I think I'm gonna cry again."

"Don't cry, just start wearing my shirts during the day."

She sniffled, but she was smiling when she leaned over to kiss me again. "Glad you like it. Change your shirt while I go introduce Tina to Armani."

I wrapped my arms around her before she could sit up. "Thank you." I'd never meant it more, but it didn't seem like enough.

I didn't have it left in me to behave. She was trying to say, "You're welcome," when I kissed her. I almost wished that she hadn't cooperated…

The heat from her lips, the way her breath fell over my skin, how her tongue felt against mine…

I could've sworn that I tasted the disappointment in her whimper when she backed away.

She was already in the kitchen before I could think about anything but what she'd done to me.

No one had ever affected me the way she had, but if it weren't for the journal I'd have wasted time like 'August Eric' had… he thought he could resist. Having seen the video made me want to laugh at him... she'd sat on his lap for the recording and his arms had gone around her as automatically as mine had gone around My Sookie… yes, already. Mine. There wasn't any question. There wasn't a shred of doubt… Several Mes couldn't be wrong about the same little slice of sunlight.

Finally taking the shirt out of the bag sealed her fate.

Sookie was going to be Mine if I had to end the Queen myself to secure Sookie's safety.

Of course, the first thing to be seen when we walked into Sookie's repugnant former place of employment was the Shifter.

As though his face wasn't sour enough, he might as well have shit in his pants to add to the excuse for his expression.

He stepped out from behind the bar aggressively enough that a skinny red-headed server looked frightened, but Sookie was unmoved.

Sookie shook her head and mumbled, knowing the cantankerous mutt would hear her perfectly. "Don't you dare cause a scene, Sam. I need 2 minutes. Your office. Now."

She elbowed me when I chuckled that he 'obeyed' when she pointed towards the back hallway.

The Shifter was less impressed than ever that I was in company when Sookie closed the door to his office behind us. He shouted, "So not only do you quit by sending a damn candy-gram, but you bring him to…"

Sookie grabbed a bottle of rum from the shelf next to the door and waved it through the air to stop his tirade. "Stop being a bitch, right now. Hear me out."

He growled, "Do you really think I want to hear what you have to say?"

"Why wouldn't you? Ohhh… yeah… because I'm dumber for not dating you."

"No. You're dumber for letting him bite you!"

She shrugged. "I didn't _**let**_ him bite me. I asked him to. I couldn't help myself. He'd been playing with my pusss…"

I put my hand over her mouth. "If you want me to behave, that needs to stop."

She groaned into my hand and rolled her eyes, finally mumbling, "Fine…" I moved my hand, sure that it hurt her to not continue taunting the Shifter. "Look, Sam… If Rene wasn't here, we'd have just gone home. I'm using my final check as an excuse to be here with my Vampire friend…"

He snarled, "The one that played with your pussy until you asked him to bite you?"

"That's the one. I told you about Rene ages ago… So here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna take a few minutes to tally up my hours and write my last check. I'm gonna go out and grab a burger while we wait…"

"I'm outta True Bloods, but he already ate, huh?"

"Focus on something other than me sleeping with him, for God sakes… Feel free to flip your shit when you bring my check to me. The more attention that gets brought to the fact that I'm a fangbanger, the better. I'm hoping Rene comes after me."

He shook his head like he had peanut butter stuck to the roof of his mouth. "_**You what!?**_"

"I've got a fresh set of fang marks and hell or high water, Jason's coming home, dammit."

"I guess you've got protection tonight, but what happens if Rene comes after you during the day, genius?"

"Why would he wait, Sam? You're gonna flip your lid in front of the whole bar… Your hissy fit is gonna make it perfect. He rapes and strangles me like he's done to the other girls and everyone is still talking about how pissed you are about me being with a Vampire… who cares if Jason looks innocent because now Sam looks guilty, especially since Dawn worked for you too and you're the only man in the parish she didn't screw. If he waits, you'll have an alibi because daytime means you're here working. Either way he'll think that when my body is found, you'll get blamed." There had never been a better patsy born.

"And what's Jan gonna be doing while Rene is lurking around your property?"

"I dunno. We'll just wait and light a fire, maybe watch some por…" My hand went over her mouth again and she giggled into it as I carried her out of Merlotte's office.

I kicked the bathroom door shut behind us and started laughing right away. "I'll say it again. You are a _nasty little bitch_ when you want to be." I'd never been more excited by those qualities either.

She looked like a perfect angel when she gasped, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You told him I was playing with your pussy?"

She giggled, "I should've told him you 'shaved' it for me too… Why didn't I mention that you make it so happy that it vibrates?"

I chuckled, "I don't know. You forgot to mention that you were wailing at the top of your lungs."

"And the strip tease in the kitchen."

"A nastier bitch might've mentioned that I've been 'playing with your pussy' for months now."

"Or the video 'We' made… You're not the only one who can double-talk."

"Obviously."

She giggled, "You think you can wipe that grin off your face yet?"

"Maybe. How long will it be gone before you start talking about your pussy again?"

Her eyes sparkled devilishly. "I dunno, but I could go for days after listening to the guys in the shop with their innuendo and… God, _the animal references_. Bernie calls his wife 'Kitty'."

"Am I assuming correctly that her name _isn't_ Katherine and she _doesn't_ shift into any sort of cat?"

"There's _nothing feline about her_… Hannah's a Human. Pervert calls the texting he does, 'feeding the kitty'."

"Because if he doesn't pacify Kitty, Kitty won't play with him."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand to start tugging me to the door. "I swear… you might be just as bad." Worse. I had more practice.

Sookie made it a point to take a seat in Arlene's section. Even if Merlotte ignored the invitation to be an asshole, Arlene would say something to Rene once they were home.

Without invitation, the skinny redhead slid into the booth to sit across from us instead of take Sookie's order.

"_**What the hell, Sookie?**_ Sam says you quit." Her accent was so thick, she was almost a parody of Southerners.

Sookie didn't bother straightening her posture and continued leaning against me when she shrugged. "I have another job and Sam's still being a jerk about us not riding off into the sunset together. It came to a head the other night when he stopped by. Apparently, if I'm not dating him, I shouldn't be dating anyone. He had himself a little tantrum when he saw me with Jan… Jan, this is Arlene Lanier. Arlene, Jan VanLuik."

She smiled reflexively and put her hand out to shake mine. Not that I was in the practice, but I shook it so that she wouldn't be left guessing. "Nice to… nice… to… meet yoooooo…" As soon as my cold hand met the warmth of hers, her eyes went directly to Sookie's marking and by the time she looked back to me, there were fangs in my grin. "_**Sookie!?**_"

Sookie grinned. "Yeah?"

"You're with a Vampire?"

"For a while now. Sam's being a jerk about Jan having fangs instead of admitting to himself that he's just hung up on me. He's being a right-ass about it."

"Well… no offense… but… he's probably worried about ya. I mean… Vampire's eat people!"

I shook my head. "Actually, we drain them. There's rarely chewing involved..." She was already pale, but what little bit of color she had disappeared instantly. "Most of us can control ourselves. For instance, I could feed from Sookie indefinitely and she'd never feel any ill effects. I could take enough from you to sustain myself for a week and you'd never know."

"You… you… you…"

I ran my finger along the back of her hand and pulled her attention to calm her nerves. The woman was so simple that glamouring her took no effort. "Are you available later, Arlene?"

"Nnnnnnnno… I… I have kids to get home to…"

"Pity. Another time then?"

Sookie snickered as Arlene nodded slowly. "Yeah… sure…"

"In the meantime, would you do a favor for me?"

She breathed, "Anything," while a stocky little man at the bar scowled in my direction.

"Take Sookie's order. She hasn't eaten enough today."

Her eyes were locked on mine. "What can I get for ya, Sook?"

Sookie giggled, "A burger Lafayette and a sweet tea, thanks."

I took my finger away from her hand and motioned to the kitchen. "Now be a good girl and run along to give the order to the kitchen. Kiss your husband on your way."

She nodded absently. "What kind of kiss?"

"The kind you don't give him in front of your children."

Sookie and I watched her slide out of the booth and go directly to the man leering from the bar, answering my question as to if he was Rene, and she proceeded to straddle his lap…

Sookie hid her face against my shoulder to quietly call her friend a, "Face-rapist."

"It could be the last kiss she gives him. She might as well enjoy it."

"I'm going to ignore that you hide being nice under causing trouble and mention that glamouring is the coolest freaking thing ever."

"What's so 'cool' about it?"

"It's abstract so it's hard to describe… Humans have this dense piece of meat between their ears. Vampires have… you know the fog caused by dry ice?"

"I do."

"It's like that… and when you glamoured her just then, I felt your mind kinda seep into hers, like her mind was an extension of yours."

"That certainly makes it seem more interesting… Now take off your shirt."

She giggled and elbowed my ribs. "You aren't even trying."

"I know better than to try glamouring you, but I still want you to take off your shirt."

She raised her eyebrow. "I'll take mine off right now…"

"Thank you. How very accommodating."

"If you take yours off." No.

"Thanks anyway."

She laughed and leaned over to smell my neck. "I like the way you smell too. Maybe I should get you to start wearing my shirts." The mental image of wearing her tiny tank tops wasn't nearly as appealing to me as the idea of her wearing my shirts.

"You'll always smell like me once we bond and your shirts wouldn't be stretched."

"If I'll smell like you then how would you still enjoy pre-worn shirts?"

"You'll smell like I was with you even if it'd been weeks since we'd been in contact. You'll smell like both of us."

"Will you smell like me?"

"No. That's why you'll need to mark my shirts." Every. Fucking. Day.

"So Supes will know I'm yours right away?"

"Yes."

"But there's no way for me to mark my territory." She spent too much time with wolves.

"Would you like to mark me?"

"That's not what I meant. It's just a little one sided."

"Smelling like you is a euphoric perk to being with you. Your bonus to smelling like me is that most Supes will know that touching you would be the end of them." Humans weren't fortunate enough to get that warning.

"Saying I belong to you isn't enough?"

"Not always, but I'd still like to hear you say it."

She licked her lips as she moved closer to whisper into my ear, "I'm sure you would."

When she pulled back, I held her still to return her whisper. "Don't tease."

"Would you really kill someone just for touching me?"

"Yes… Once we're bonded there's no excuse for any Vampire to touch you again."

"But right now, anyone could do whatever they wanted to me?"

"Not if they want to live. I'd still kill them, but I'd have to answer for it."

"We're not talking about friendly hugs or anything though, right?"

"Among Humans and some Weres, no, but Vampires aren't permitted to touch another Vampire's property unless they're given permission."

"When would you say that's it's alright?"

"Give me an example."

"Like if I got to be friends with Pam."

"That would be allowed providing you aren't suggesting that I share you with her like you did earlier…"

She was already giggling another apology for her ruse into my ear when we were interrupted.

Merlotte slammed a brown paper bag down in front of Sookie and leaned onto the table. He was glaring at her for a moment before she barely breathed out, "_Close enough to leave evidence_." It was as though she was answering an unasked question.

He growled before he yelled, "None of that shit here! If you want to make out with your Vampire boy-toy, go do that shit in the cemetery!"

She shook her head and spat, "Sam Merlotte you're being a bigot! We aren't hurting anything by being here!"

"There's laws against him feeding in public… so you can just start eating at home too! Go'on! Get your dumb ass outta here!"

"Dumb ass? _**DUMB ASS!**_ Are you kidding me? I'm a dumbass for being with a Vampire, but you're allowed to go running around with _**what**_-freaking-ever blows through town? You're not now, and you haven't ever been, in a position to dictate who I go to bed with." I almost laughed when she rubbed his nose in his infatuation with the Maenad.

"Yes, you're a dumbass… Dawn and Lafayette are dead and they weren't even looking for trouble…" He grabbed her wrist and even though he seemed to be helping Sookie's plans of a 'controlled ruckus', my fangs ran out. As he pulled her out of the booth, I followed, grabbing his wrist to make him release hers. He had to know I wasn't going to let him get away with touching her, even if he was acting.

Whether he was cooperating or not, I didn't want to have too much fun with Merlotte. Putting him on the floor and toying with his masculinity would've been highly amusing, but I wanted a serial killer to take some bait, not encourage a town to light torches. Not when I wanted to stay there.

Sookie pulled my waist, repeating that he wasn't 'worth it' as I inched closer. "Keep your hands off of things that don't belong to you."

"She doesn't belong to you, jerk off! She's a Human and slavery hasn't been legal for a long time!"

"Awww. What's wrong? Is your feeling hurt that Sookie lets a monster like me between her legs and you get left in the yard?"

He growled, "She doesn't know who you really are. If she did, she wouldn't have anything to do with you."

"She understands who I am better than anyone… It's your intelligence I question since you don't seem to be smart enough to know when to start chasing another female."

"She's not yours!"

I'd barely decided to tell him that she was more mine than his since I'd had Sookie's pussy on my lap (it was only fair that I get to enjoy the joke too), when Sookie barked, **"YES. I. AM!"** _Oh really?_

He shouted past me, "Sookie, you're being stupid! He's pretty and all, but he's about as far from an angel as you can get!"

Sookie snorted as she snatched the bag from the table. "That's funny since he checked in with the Sheriff earlier and she couldn't have been happier to see him." That was almost as good of a lie as playing with Sookie's pussy had been. Pam had been beside herself over her new ensemble.

"The Sheriff is ERIC NORTHMAN! Not a woman!"

"Shows how much you know. Why don't you call Sheriff Ravenscroft and do a background check on him. Jan VanLuik hasn't ever caused any trouble at all." Cute.

"Why would I trust another Vampire? She'd just tell me that 'Jan' here is a saint."

"No. She'd tell you that he's strong enough that you shouldn't test his patience…" She started walking by him and punched his stomach hard enough to double him over. "She couldn't possibly warn you about how much I'll put up with though."

When I opened the car door for her she stopped. Her hand rested on my arm and I watched chills spread over her skin while her eyes were closed. "What are you doing?"

She breathed, "_shhhh, listening_."

To fill the idle time in the parking lot that didn't smell any better than the inside of the 'Bar & Grill', I did the same. What I lacked in telepathy, I excelled in acute senses… While Arlene defended me to a local by saying that I was 'sweet' when we'd met, the rest of the murmurings in the dining room were just as surprising.

More than half of the customers were complaining about the scene, blaming Sam's jealousy instead of focusing on the Vampire that he'd held responsible.

There was a woman who said Sookie might've been crazy, but it wasn't any of Sam's business to judge her after what she'd been through. Apparently, Sookie deserved to have a personal life since she'd lost everything else.

A man with a gravelly voice actually spoke directly to Sam to tell him that he was lucky I didn't pull him apart and put him on the menu after the way he behaved. Sam's only defense was telling 'Terry' to mind his own business. Terry's voice became deeper, more menacing. "Fine Sam, but he didn't give two shits that you insulted him. What lit a fire under his ass was when you grabbed Sook. Hell, even I wanted to hit you for that shit."

Sam growled at him while several patrons agreed with Terry…

Vampires, 1. Shifters, 0.

I could've counted the other night at Sookie's house against him, but I was feeling charitable enough to call that encounter a scrimmage.

Sookie finally broke her concentration by shuddering. "It worked."

"Rene?"

"He's planning to take Arlene home and leaving once she's asleep… He's conflicted about killing another one of her friends, but he hates that Arlene isn't scared of you."

"Then we should go home and make our plan."

She giggled as she climbed to her seat. "You just called my house 'home'."

It might've been a remnant of feeling safe there while I had amnesia, but 'home' is what I thought about while I drove to the Compton estate...

I hid my car behind that house so that Rene would assume Sookie was unprotected and scooped Sookie up to fly over the cemetery instead of let her stumble through it. She hadn't expected to fly, but since I lifted us slowly, she had the chance to brace herself instead of panic. She looked around, taking in her surroundings wearing a radiant smile to go with the exhilaration that I could've sworn I felt without the benefit of a bond.

As I set her feet on the porch, she sighed contentedly, "It's a shame we've got stuff to do. I could've done that all night."

"Just let me know. I'll clear my schedule."

She smiled and kissed my cheek, but her phone began ringing before anything else could be said or done.

She fumbled for her keys and raced to the kitchen. "Hey Tray, what's up?"

"How did you know it was me?"

"Deacon was pulling into Merlotte's as we were leaving. I figured he heard the gossip and called you from the bathroom." Tray and I both chuckled at her logic.

Tray was still amused when he corrected, "He went back to his truck… So Merlotte picked a fight with y'all?"

"Sort of… Tray, we did it so that Rene would come after me…"

"_**OH. NO. YOU. DON'T!**_ You promised to give me a week before you gave me another batch of grays!"

"But I'm not saving the world… I'm just trying to get my brother out of prison."

"What are you going to do? Wait in bed and then 'defend yourself'?"

"I'm going to wait in bed and then _I'll be protected_."

"Is 'Pam' going to rescue you?"

"Yes sir. No worries. Even if Rene was a Were, he's no match for a Vampire."

"And even if that new lawyer can't get Jason's case reopened, having Rene in custody for DNA evidence and fingerprinting after he pulled the same MO… it'll be one hell of a… _**DAMN IT GIRL!**_ I fucking hate that it makes sense!"

"I'm sorry."

"Bull. Shit. I'll be over in half an hour…"

"No. Don't. The SUV is over behind the old Compton place so that Rene thinks I'm alone. We've got to settle in for the night so that he doesn't get spooked off…"

"Which is why I'm going to leave my truck there too and wait in the woods. If something goes wrong, 'Pam' needs to see to you and I can take Rene down."

"Yes sir. Love you…" She rolled her eyes and whispered to me, "There's no point in arguing with him. He's just as stubborn as you are."

Tray grumbled, "Love you too, _and I heard that_… you obstinate little…" He hung up before he could finish complaining about her.

After eating her dinner and once the cats were locked in the bathroom in Adele's old room, Sookie changed into a nightgown and slid into bed.

Not that I'd have left her alone, but her anxiety was obvious enough that once I turned the lights off, I joined her.

She pulled my arm over her side and pushed over to put her back against me.

She was quiet for a while before her breathing slowed down and her body seemed to relax.

Only a few minutes later, I heard Tray's truck rumble along the driveway to the Compton house, but if he was in the woods, he wasn't making any noise.

It was nearly 1am when our 'company' finally arrived. Even as she slept, Sookie tensed.

She mumbled sleepily, "You know… you know you have to let him get to me, right?"

"He won't touch you."

"If he's going to look guilty then he has to at least touch me… mark me somehow."

"No."

"Eric, you know I'm right and this is the wrong time to argue with me about it. He needs to leave evidence. He needs to hurt me."

"I'm not going to stand by and let you get hurt…"

"You can't just grab him. Think about it… If you just catch him in the house, it's just breaking and entering. That's not going to help Jason."

"As much as you care about your brother, I'm thinking about your wellbeing. I won't let you get injured when there's a chance the lawyer and detective…"

"If I uninvite you, I'm on my own."

"You wouldn't."

"Eric, I'm not suggesting that you let him get as far as raping me… he strangles his victims first."

"You want me to watch him strangle you?" That wasn't going to happen.

"I want you to give me the chance to try to fight him off… I need to scratch him or pull his hair… I'll owe you one."

"No, but you will let me heal you as soon as the authorities are gone."

She rolled over to face me… she was scared and trying to be braver than the situation called for. "Whatever needs to be done."

"You won't fight me."

She shook her head slowly. "No. I won't fight you. Thank you." She leaned enough to give me a nervous kiss. She was terrified, but she wasn't going to say so. "Go on… He's creeping around the back of the house looking in windows. You need to get out of sight."

"How do you know it isn't Tray?"

"Among other things, I listened to Tray shift… Go on. Out of sight. Be cliché."

"Cliché?"

She tried to smile. "Yep. I'm asking a Vampire to lurk in the shadows and wait to get the jump on an unsuspecting Human."

I managed to muster a grin as I left the bed to wait behind her bedroom door.

It felt like years.

Sookie whispered quietly to let me know Rene was looking through the bedroom windows… and that Tray was watching him move through the yard…

I let her know when I heard the latch on the back porch's door break, but I hadn't needed to say anything when he pushed the interior door open. The frame splintered away from the bolt that he hadn't tried to turn.

One step at a time, Rene's boot falls echoed through the house. He slowed down as he walked through the living room and stopped at the door to Adele's room to go in and pace slowly.

When he stopped at the doorway to Sookie's room, I didn't think he was ever going to leave it. I was forced to stand witness, listening to his heart race and smelling his excitement… while Sookie was forced to listen to whatever depraved thoughts he was having.

He fantasized and planned for the longest ten minutes of my life.

When he finally moved, he stepped carefully in small strides… inching closer and closer to Sookie as she played opossum…

He crept close enough to lean over and whisper into her ear, "I'm doing this for your own good…"

And as soon as she opened her eyes, he moved quickly to wrap a cord around her neck and climb on top of her…

_1… 2… I promised… 3… she wanted there to be evidence of an attack… 4… she struggled and slapped his hands… 5… the longer it went on, the more excited he became… 6… no… _

I wasn't waiting…

I grabbed him from behind and threw him from the bed, taking the cord from her neck and waiting for her to show me that she was alright. There was definitely going to be a mark left behind.

I waited another eternity while Sookie sobbed and took panicked gasps for air and finally croaked that she'd be fine.

I nodded and turned my attention to the grunting lump of shit on the other side of her room.

I lifted him by his hair, holding him from behind and waiting for him to be done pissing all over himself before I said anything. "You killed a friend of mine."

He fought to free himself. "Go ahead. Kill me."

I moved my hands to his throat and gave it a little squeeze. "_I'm not going to kill you. That would be too fast._"

He gasped, "If you…"

He was distracted when I started running my thumb along the back of his neck… _counting_. "If I, what?"

"If you turn me…"

"You cause enough trouble as a Human…"

Pam's medical infatuation had been helpful over the years. One of the many things I'd learned by proxy had been that the Human body was a fragile structure… The spine in particular…

The trick, _**the art**_ of keeping a Human imprisoned in its own body without a way to control it was in where the pressure was put. Yes, _the devil was in the details._

Breaking the neck too high meant that one might as well have chosen the less controlled of the options. It left the human twitching on the floor until its functions stopped receiving messages from its brain.

Breaking the neck too low meant that the Human could retain the full use of its arms.

Anatomically, the jaw lined up with 'C3'…

The C4 vertebra was just below it and was a sensitive area since breaking that one could mean paralyzing the diaphragm…

C5. C5 and C6 to be more specific. Even if the Human can hold onto the some muscle control in its upper limbs, it would most likely need to be hand fed for the rest of its life.

As soon as Rene crumpled to the floor, Sookie bolted from the bed and leapt up to hold me with her arms and legs.

She was trembling and weeping uncontrollably and I wished I'd given her some blood beforehand… Not only would it have bolstered her strength for the struggle she 'needed', but I'd have a hint about her mood… I couldn't tell if she was still frightened or grateful that the ordeal was over.

I was practically wearing her as I walked to the living room to use the house phone. Sookie was hyperventilating, but the phone call needed to be made. Evidence needed to be collected.

"Raynard 9-1-1. What's your emergency?"

"I've just injured an intruder. I'm at 200 Hummingbird Lane. Bon Temps."

"Yes sir. How is he injured?"

"I broke his neck when I found him trying to strangle my girlfriend." I almost laughed at myself for calling Sookie my girlfriend.

"You broke his neck? Is he alive?"

"Unfortunately."

"Ummmm…. Is your girlfriend injured? You? Is that her I hear crying?"

"She has bruising on her neck. I'm fine. And yes, she's the one upset."

There was a brief pause while she typed the relevant information. "Emergency services have been dispatched, sir. Can I have your name?"

"Jan VanLuik. We're at Sookie Stackhouse's home."

"Sookie Stackhouse being your girlfriend?"

"Yes. I'm going to wait for the police."

"Sir, I'd like to keep you on the line in the case that there is more trouble..."

I hung up, not caring about the script dispatchers were given. It wasn't as though Lanier was capable of being a nuisance anymore.

I only had to step out to the porch before Tray approached the house. He was too anxious for news to go back for his clothing and shifted along the way… It only reminded me of why it had been so easy for me to believe Sookie's joke. Weres had less modesty than I did.

Tray was beside himself over how upset Sookie was. She still hadn't spoken or let go of me, but he wasn't angry at anyone in particular… If anything he was pissed that he hadn't gotten to be more help, but he laughingly mentioned that he hadn't expected to be.

I gave him my keys so that he could bring my SUV back to the house before the police arrived. When he came back, he took the spare key that was taped to the underside of the porch swing and put it on my ring. Since he came back clothed, he went inside to inspect the scene and came out again laughing about paralysis being 'better than Depo'. As soon as he heard sirens, he ran off to get into his truck, congratulating us and promising to look in on Sookie during the day.

The ambulance workers arrived first. They ran towards the house as though there was something pressing waiting for them. I pointed towards the front door. "Last door on the right. No rush. He isn't going anywhere."

They balked. I assumed that I'd been expected to be more bothered by having broken a man's neck. They didn't seem able to move until the arrival of a squad car interrupted the gaping they were doing.

Andy Bellefleur. Retard Laureate of the Bon Temps Sheriff's Department. He slammed his car door shut and blustered towards where I was sitting on the porch steps with Sookie. He wasn't drunk, but he'd been drinking.

"What the holy hell happened, Sookie!?"

She whimpered and tightened her grip, leaving me to answer. "I left for an errand after I took her out for dinner. I came home to find her being attacked."

"And who the fuck are you?"

"Jan VanLuik. If you have any complaints or suspect my behavior, I answer to Pamela Ravenscroft, Sheriff of Area 5."

"Area ffffff…. _**You're a Vampire!?**_"

I nodded and half expected for him to ask to see my fangs.

"How long y'all been together?"

"Could we focus on the fact that Sookie was choked and had I not interfered when I did, Rene Lanier would've done to Sookie what he did to the other 'fangbangers' you imprisoned Jason for killing?"

"That wasn't my fault!" Yes it was. His moronic beliefs in Jason Stackhouse's guilt was another 'constant' and had been outlined in the journal entries we'd read.

I wasn't going to argue with him. "Sookie had been busy during the day and hadn't had the opportunity to eat. We left for Merlotte's at 9:15 arriving only a few moments later. While we were there, Sam Merlotte caused a scene about Sookie being with me. No doubt, Merlotte's reaction to Sookie being a 'fangbanger' is what brought Lanier to the conclusion that she should die. When we left, we returned to the house. She took the time to eat since she'd gotten her order 'to go' while I made some phone calls and I left for an errand in Shreveport shortly thereafter."

"What kind of errand?"

"I went to the Chevrolet dealership to choose a car for Sookie."

"This late?"

"I don't have to deal with salesmen if I go after hours."

"How are you going to get it then?"

"Sookie's employer, Tray Dawson, offered to deliver it for me."

"What did you pick?" As dim as he was, he was trying to catch me in a lie.

"Corvettes. Z06… A blue one for Sookie and a red one for me." Her lack of reaction did nothing but make me more worried about her.

His mouth falling open actually made him look smarter. "Uhhhhh…. Mmm… What did you see when you walked in?"

"When I returned, I entered through the front door and nothing seemed out of place. He'd gotten in by pushing in the door to the mud-porch. I heard him say that he was doing 'this' for her own good… When I reached the bedroom, Lanier was straddling her chest. He had a length of cord wrapped around her neck. She was still fighting but he had the cord tight enough that she couldn't call for help."

"And what did you do?"

"I threw him across the room. I took the cord from Sookie's neck and waited for her to say something, which she barely managed. When he tried to get to his feet, I grabbed him and broke his neck so that he couldn't escape."

"You broke his neck?"

"He's still alive, but even if you're so worthless that you can't convict him when he was caught in the act, he won't be murdering anymore fangbangers."

"Those murders stopped when we took Jason Stackhouse into custody…"

"Because Rene Lanier stopped killing in Raynard Parish, you obtuse oaf. There have been more victims that you should contact Detective Coughlin in Shreveport about."

"There's more?"

"Three before the Bon Temps victims and three since he's been in jail. _Jason Stackhouse must be __**diabolical**__ if he can kill from prison. _Even more impressive is that he figured out the perfect way to murder his own sister who'd been working two jobs to keep his house for him."

"Has Sookie said anything to you?"

"No. As soon as Lanier was unconscious, she glommed onto me."

He stammered, "That's… That's… She should go to the hospital… That's not like her."

I shook my head. "Granted, she's in shock, but since you know about her unique ability… you know, the one you blatantly ignored when you helped convict an innocent man of rape and murder… considering her talent, do you think her condition would improve when she's surrounded by the pain and suffering of others?"

"Uh… no?"

So began the backpedaling.

While Rene was taken to a hospital and Sookie's bedroom was taken apart for evidence Sookie remained quietly attached to me… But Bellefleur was an apologetic little apple polisher until 4:30 when he finally left after Sookie's finger nails had been scraped and photos of her neck were taken for substantiation.

Once we were finally alone again, I carried her to the bathroom. I tried putting her in the tub, but her legs weren't cooperating…

It took me a few minutes to remember something from the journal… that 'August Sookie' hid from misery using her Eric's mind… the journal mentioned that she'd done it to avoid the stress of airplane landings and to ignore the pain of waiting for news of Adele's heart attack in the hospital.

I set her on the counter and pried her hands away from my neck, backing away slowly and waiting for her eyes to meet mine.

"Enjoy your vacation?"

She whimpered and her eyes started to well again. "You killed him."

I shook my head. "No, but if you start crying again, I might need to."

"What did you do?"

"His neck is broken. What do you remember?"

"Watching him hit the floor… Then I grabbed you… Did you call 9-1-1 already?" It was amazing to me that she circumvented the chaos by seeking solace in my mind… further proof that she couldn't hear my thoughts on a regular basis since Lanier hadn't exactly inspired me to think of rainbows and daisies.

"I called them. Tray's already gone and Detective Bellefleur is most likely kicking his own ass. They've all left. Rene was taken to the hospital in Minden."

"Don't I… I didn't… I need to give a statement…"

"Eventually. Bellefleur believed that you were in shock because it wasn't like you to be quiet for so long. He said that my statement and the evidence was enough for the time being."

"Oh God… what name did you give?"

"Jan VanLuik… I sent Pam a text to have her corroborate my existence and I arranged for my alias last night. I'll be getting my new documentation soon enough. If Bellefleur asks for it, I can stall for a while."

"Did he believe it or did he give you a hard time?"

"You missed it while you were hiding. He kissed my ass."

She forced a halfhearted grin. "Liar."

"He believed it. He tried to apologize to you and promised to 'fix it'."

She covered her mouth and gasped, "It's over?"

I nodded. "Hopefully. You should call Coughlin and Halloran later to make sure they know that Rene Lanier made an attempt on your life."

"What did you tell Andy?"

I lifted her and put her in the tub without the resistance I'd had before. "Everything… My only deviation is that I left the house to run an errand and I returned in time to hear Lanier say that he was doing it for your own good…. Now bathe. I need to shower too. I don't want Lanier to be the first thing I smell when I rise tonight."

She nodded and closed the shower curtain. Her nightgown was tossed over the bar just a moment before the water was turned on.

While she rinsed away the scent of her would-be murderer, I went to the kitchen to block the broken door with a hutch so that it wouldn't be unsecure while we were resting, and released the cats from Adele's bathroom.

By the time Sookie was done, I was waiting for her with a fresh towel… eager to be rid of Lanier's filth.

There was something awkward about Sookie when I left the bathroom.

She'd opened the windows in her bedroom and closed the door to let it air out.

She puttered about in the kitchen, getting a drink for herself and refilling the cat's dishes.

When she started washing the coffee pot, apparently out of nervous energy, I wrapped my arms around her from behind only to have her tense.

"You should rest."

"I don't know if I can… I… I can't stop thinking about…"

"I have to go soon. I don't want you to spend the day scared."

She shook her head. "I don't know if I could…"

I turned the facet off and she turned it on again. So stubborn.

I turned the water off, scooping her up before she could resist anymore, and took her upstairs.

Sookie seemed puzzled more than anything when I put her on the bed in my room and laid behind her. "We still have business to tend to and there isn't much time left before dawn."

She sighed, "What business?"

"First, you won't do that to me again. I only agreed because of the love you have for your brother, but I won't let you be bait again. I regret making the suggestion."

She sniffled, "I think I learned my lesson… I've never been so scared… I promise."

"I wasn't asking."

"I wasn't arguing… I saw them."

"Who?"

"The other girls… when he was choking me… I saw what they all looked like while he was killing them… I… Every time I close my eyes…" She stopped as two tears fell from her cheek and trickled over my arm.

"I waited longer than I wanted to. I wasn't going to let him kill you too… And we know there won't be more."

She nodded slowly. "Second?"

I ran my fingers over the ridges of swelling caused by the cords. "Does it hurt?"

"Yeah… it's sore."

"I told you that I was going to heal you."

She took a deep breath. "I kind of think I should deal with it. I'm the idiot…"

Before she could finish suggesting that she bear the bruises of being strangled, I bit into my wrist and put it to her mouth. "No. You won't suffer when I can help it. You've suffered enough because of Lanier."

She jerked her head back, nearly breaking my nose in the process. She gasped and rolled over to grab my face. "Oh God! I'm sorry… I wasn't… Are you alright? I just wasn't expecting it."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm fine. You're the one that needs attention."

The wound in my wrist was already closing by the time I held it up to her again. "Will we be bonded?"

"No. I'll be able to feel you, but it takes more than one exchange to bond."

"But you've already fed from me once."

"Feeding from a Human doesn't affect a bond. That's part of survival. A Human has to feed from a Vampire to start that process… Are you done stalling?"

She whimpered, "Ummm… I guess."

Sookie cringed before she settled back onto the bed like she'd been before with her back to me and I lifted my arm again. "Are you ready now?"

"Yeah."

"You're certain?"

"Uh huh."

"You're positive?"

She scoffed and swatted my leg. "Now you're making fun of me."

"I'm just making sure. If I'm going to be bitten repeatedly, I'd rather you were the one doing it."

"Hey, Mr. Millennium, I'm allowed to be uptight about something I've never done before. I can't even start to describe the look on your face when you realized we were cuddling last night."

She'd definitely made her point.

When I put my wrist in front of her again, she gently cupped my arm with her little hands…

And the last thing I remember was growling 'Mine' when I felt the warmth of her lips on my wrist.


	8. Chapter 8

**Death's Door**

**Chapter 8**

**Respect**

As I rose, to the sounds of rain on the tin roof and the house phone ringing, I wanted to remember what happened before I died…

Other than being overcome with the urge to climb inside of Sookie, I didn't know what happened once Sookie started taking my blood.

The sound of the house phone ringing unanswered was worrisome enough before the answering machine picked up. "Tray. Again. 8th call, 4th message. If you're not talking to me because of the car, then tell me that you aren't talking to me. I'm worried. You're giving me more grays. Love ya, kid. Call me." He was going to pick up our new cars… He'd said he would be by to check on her and fix the back door… if he hadn't seen her… fuck.

I still wasn't completely coherent when I left my bed… looking for her body, looking for her blood… worried that I'd done something to her…

I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but I felt like a fool when I realized I was on the floor, searching under the bed…

I sat on the bed and spent a moment trying to remember… That's when I came back to myself fully…

I'd risen in enough of a daze that my other senses lagged…

The house smelled of freshly cooked food. The only blood on the bed was a few drops of mine from when she'd balked at her healing. The jeans I'd put on after my shower were still on. The dresser hadn't been put in front of the door, but the doll wasn't hanging from the knob, so I had to assume it was on the other side.

When I finally started to feel her, she was close and closing the gap between us quickly… she felt a strange combination of happiness and apprehension…

And the closer she was the more her hesitation clouded her cheerfulness.

Fuck.

What had we done?

When I finally heard the sound of a 505 horsepower V8 rumbling up the driveway, her emotions came to a head.

She might have been close to shaking nervously by the time she crossed the threshold before coming up the stairs, leaving a set of footsteps downstairs to wander.

Sookie knocked and whispered, "Can I come in?"

She jumped when I opened the door to see the 'draft dodger' in the threshold. "What's wrong?"

Sookie pounced. She had her arms around my neck, kissing me with an ear to ear grin on her face before I could brace myself.

I couldn't even think to be bothered by the fact that she smelled like she'd been in the company of men for the day…

Putting her on the bed was reflexive, and she didn't resist other than pulling away from kissing me to breathe.

I growled against her neck. "I could get used to rising like this."

She giggled as I nipped her collarbone. "I could get used to waiting for you to wake up if I get this kind of greeting."

"A half truth. You're very turned on, but you're nervous about something."

She groaned, "Damn it! Taking your blood… _I_ _lost my edge_."

When I chuckled against her skin she squirmed in the most delicious way possible. "That's right… It seems like we're close to being even now."

"So… we need to talk."

"Definitely. Can we talk _after_ we fuck?"

"No. Fucking comes later."

"What time?"

She cackled, "Later as an abstract. Not later as a predetermined timeframe."

Before I could negotiate for a specific fuck schedule, a man's voice called from the first floor. "Everything alright up there, Sook?"

She called back, "Perfect! Be down in a minute!"

I raised my eyebrow. "Another friend?"

She beamed as she shook her head. "No… want to hear a story?"

"Can you tell the story while I fuck you to save time?"

"Going on this morning, I'm going to say no. I doubt I'd be coherent."

"I'm fine with that."

She jokingly scowled at me. "_Starting the story…_ So I crashed a few minutes after you died…"

"No… don't start the story with sleeping. Who starts a story with sleeping? Start with the part that makes you sure you wouldn't stay coherent for long."

She raised her eyebrow and her tongue played on the inside of cheek for a moment before she began, "_**When I woke up,**_ I made breakfast and tried calling Coughlin and Halloran. When I couldn't get in touch with them, I went out to the hardware store to get the stuff to do the rest of the windows…"

"Do you like the way your Corvette handles?"

She slapped my shoulder. "You're a sneaky prick and I'm reserving the right to pitch the rest of my hissy fit later. I can't believe you had Tray tow my car away so I'd have to drive the new one."

"But do you like it?"

"It's beautiful and drives like a dream and when I stopped to get gas, the guys in the shop offered to be your girlfriend."

"Do they smell like sunshine and taste like honey?"

"Nope. Just me… anyway, I painted and whatnot and got all the windows done but this one, but the stuff is ready to put in. I tried calling the lawyer and detective again and left more messages… Then I went and laid out in the yard… I dozed off and woke up when company came by."

"Did you mark a shirt for me?"

She patted my shoulders and giggled, "Yes… **in spite of the car-swapping**. It's downstairs on the bathroom counter."

"Thank you… Was your company that idiot detective from Bon Temps?"

She laughed, "No… and stop interrupting me because you're comfy, _you big perv_… As it turns out, the reason why I couldn't get in touch with Coughlin or Halloran is because they were in court today."

"Did one of them come by?"

She smiled as she shook her head. "Halloran had spent the day with Jason yesterday and managed to wrangle a hearing based on the new victims… Andy went home last night and called Coughlin and both of them were waiting at the courthouse this morning. Based on the new victims and Rene coming after me, Jason's conviction was overturned. Vacated is the word, I think. He's not out of the woods yet… the judge said that since he was only convicted of the two murders, they could still get him for the others. Apparently, since Jason looks innocent, the judge isn't interested in a bigger miscarriage of justice suit since Jason's conviction gave Rene the chance to get 3 more girls… Since the original arresting officer made a statement apologizing for his misinterpretation of the evidence… Andy was my company… He gave Jason a ride home… Eric, _Jason's home_."

I growled, "That is the only excusable reason for us to not be fucking right now."

She grabbed my ears to pull our faces together. Her lips, her tongue… rubbing and nibbling until she needed air. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Is there anyone else you'd like for me to paralyze?"

She giggled, "I'll let you know… Anyway, I just got back from taking Jason over to his house to get some things and took him to see his old boss about getting his job back. He starts again on the 1st."

"Since it's Jason who's downstairs, why are you so anxious? Does he have objections to his sister being with a Vampire?"

She cringed. "He might… if I told him."

I whispered, pretending to be galled, "You haven't told him that you've had a Vampire playing with your pussy?"

She snickered, "Um… I told him I'm upstairs getting something."

"He doesn't even know you have a houseguest?"

"No. See, the thing is, he was always on the fence about Vampires before… and he went to jail for something pseudo-Vampire related. I don't know how he's gonna react and I didn't want to argue with him because I'm happy that he's out of jail and I… I was kind of… Eric, he's kind of simple. I was hoping he wouldn't notice until he got to talk to you and see for himself that you're not, _you know_, some Buffy/Angel villain."

"So meeting him with my fangs down wouldn't make a good first impression?"

She covered her face and whined, "I don't know… he could ask to see your coffin or go for the silverware… I could give a shit what anyone else thinks, but Jason… I don't want to start off on the wrong foot. Not when I just got him back."

"The Green Journal mentioned that it didn't take much effort for him to realize that I wouldn't hurt you."

She bit her lip and nodded. "And that y'all are friends, but…"

"But situations for us are different. You're afraid that prison might have jaded him, yes?"

She gulped. "Yeah. Don't think that I'm embarrassed by you or anything. _I swear that's not the case…_"

"Sookie, for you to be a part of my life, you're going to have to spend a certain amount of time pretending to be something you're not. You understand that, yes?"

She nodded.

"If I have to pretend to be Human so that your brother doesn't reject you, then that's what I'll do." I had enough practice. I'd 'faked it' for most of my life.

She gulped again. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"I don't mind…" It was the least I could do. I wished I could think of a reason to refuse, but pride wasn't going to help the matter… Sookie's life had been difficult enough.

"No… You know what… It took hearing you say it out loud… I'm not going to… No." She began pushing herself out from under me to sit up.

"No matter how we spin your part in my life…"

She shook her head. "That's different. I have to be a pet so that you don't look like a pushover to the hard asses you deal with. And it'll be a safety thing too… Jason can deal with it. I'm just gonna keep my fingers crossed that he doesn't flip out for long. C'mon."

"An idea?"

She huffed, "What?"

"If he overreacts, I'll glamour him to forget meeting me. Then you can introduce the idea of me slowly until he comes to terms with a Vampire being part of your life."

She stared unblinking for a moment before she conceded with a nod. "Just once. He only gets **one chance** to be an ass."

"And don't introduce me as 'Jan the Vampire'. You'll introduce me by my real name and you won't throw that I'm a Vampire in his face. We'll let it come to him slowly. It's highly possible that he'll be protective of you regardless of what I am. He wasn't voluntarily out of your life."

She growled, "Ok. Seriously, don't hold onto me… I feel sick."

Jason Stackhouse was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with his arms folded across his chest. It seemed as though he'd been making use of his 'yard time'… the pictures of him throughout the house showed a well-built man, but the Jason waiting with a suspicious look on his face had bulked up enough to have a chest and arms that were testing the limits of his t-shirt and his jeans looked painfully tight.

He grumbled without looking at me. "So Gran died and you… _got a roommate_?" I couldn't be sure if he was accusing or inquiring.

"Actually, Eric's been staying here since before she passed. Jason, this is Eric Northman. Eric, my brother, Jason Stackhouse." He didn't bother offering to shake, so he wasn't going to get a clue from my cool hand.

I nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"Why didn't y'all mention him when I called, when y'all visited?"

"Because we didn't want you worrying about us taking in a boarder." Liar… I might've smiled if it weren't for Jason's mood. It actually pained Sookie to lie as much as she just had.

"Not because you snowed Gran into letting your boyfriend move in?"

"No. Jason…"

"Because you wouldn't take advantage of being the only thing Gran had left, right?"

"Of course not…"

"Did Gran know you were fucking the 'boarder'?"

"Jason, you're on the wrong track… Eric…"

"So why not rent him my place?" Because he couldn't issue an invitation from jail.

"Because it's _your_ house and he's a friend of ours..."

He cocked his head to the side. "A friend? A friend you're planning to fuck later?" He shut his mouth long enough to let Sookie struggle to answer him before he delivered another low blow. "Right. I guess y'all don't really care about how much those rooms echo now that you've got the house all to yourself. Y'all can just make all the noise you want… Y'all scare the cat off, or d'you just leave her alone until she died like Gran?" He was dangerously close to being drained and dumped in the swamp.

Sookie held her hands up and shook her head, yelling, "Stop! Just stop. That's not fair!"

"Right… whatever."

"What's that mean?"

"Fuck Sook, I dunno. It might suck a little bit to come home from being in jail for no fucking reason to a grave marker, no utilities, no truck and a sister that's shacked up with a guy who'd buy her a fucking car worth more than the house that's falling the fuck apart around her. How 'bout that?"

Sookie finally felt sick enough that I felt it. "Jas… I did the best I could. It's not like I was out bar hopping." She'd been on the verge of tears… they finally spilled.

He boomed, "Fuck that! You…"

**Change of plans.**

Jason Stackhouse was on his back before he saw me move. "Hello. I'm Eric and I'm going to be your post-release assimilation counselor."

He struggled to get my hand from around his throat, not realizing that I wasn't choking him, just holding. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I just told you. I'm Eric and you're going to shut the fuck up and listen to me…"

He rasped, "Why the fuck should I care about your opinion, asshole?"

"You'll listen to me because the last mother fucker that made Sookie cry won't ever walk again. Understand?"

He lifted his knee to kick my side and the look on his face when I didn't budge was laughable. "What the fuck!? Get off me!"

"I'm talking. _**You're listening…**_ Your sister has been working 2 full time jobs, exceeding 80 hours per week since September. She nearly killed herself keeping the schedule so that you had a house to come home to at all. I'm terribly sorry that your truck payment couldn't be made and that your cable hasn't been turned on yet, but while you've been getting 3 square meals a day and working out, your sister has run herself ragged enough to lose no less than 20 pounds. Until this morning, she'd been driving a car with bad brakes, a headliner that was falling out, no tire tread, and no turn signals. She kept a job where she was sexually harassed so that she could continue paying two mortgages on the off chance that you'd be released… and further helped you by acting as a decoy so that Rene Lanier would attack her to prove your innocence. The very least you could do is show some fucking appreciation for what she _**HAS**_ done for your ungrateful ass."

"I'm not ungrateful… I'm just… pissed! Wouldn't you be!?"

I let go of his throat, but I hovered too close to let him up. "I can appreciate that the last few months have been difficult for you, but Adele worried to death and your sister nearly worked to death… If you don't show your sister the respect she fucking deserves, you're going to wish you'd stayed in jail. Adele would be beside herself if she heard you belittle what Sookie's done for your family. You aren't the only one who's shaking off a regrettable few months, but you're the one getting a lesson on respect and gratitude."

"What the fuck do you know about it?" As soon as I stood up, Sookie grabbed my hand and began rubbing her thumb over my knuckles.

"I've been here since January and I've watched Sookie do everything she could… it was more than you deserve."

He grimaced as he sat up and rubbed his neck. "Fine." His answer wasn't anything more than a learned response to being bested. _Prison behavior_. Symbolically, I'd taken over his territory while he was in jail. He hadn't absorbed any information or changed his mind about anything… I almost felt sorry for him when I realized I'd accidentally won his challenge for control, but Sookie was still hurt by his insinuations instead of feeling protective of him.

"Good… One last thing… while you have no concept of discretion, you need to know that where I put my cock is none of your concern. The next sexual accusation that comes out of your mouth will end with your need for dentures. You're talking outside of your paygrade and I won't let you upset your sister. Are we clear?"

He started pushing himself off of the floor. "Yeah, yeah, yeah… fabulous fuckin' homecoming… Giant asshole… jumping my shit… fuckin' dick weed…" When Sookie said Jason was 'kind of simple', I'd thought she meant flannel or stripper mud-flaps… I wasn't expecting him to be simple in a fat pencils and Velcro shoes way. That dense bastard still wasn't catching on.

I moved to stand behind him and I put my hand on his chin. "Let's try something…" I started moving his chin and mocking his ridiculous accent. _A Jason puppet_. "_Sooookie,_ thank ya fer cookin' fer me even though ya were nearly kilt last night." Sookie covered her mouth to start laughing into her hands.

Jason swatted my hand and jerked away from me. "Fuck you, dude! I already said thanks! You think I didn't miss real food?"

I shrugged and grabbed his chin again. "_Sooookie,_ I suuure 'preciate ya taking me back ta muh house ta get muh own clothes." He pushed my hand away again while Sookie laughed until she was short of breath.

"Alright, alright! I get it! I was being a shithead! _SORRY._"

I palmed his head to fuck up his hair. "Good boy. The next step was putting you on the roof."

"You'd put me on time out!?"

"I was thinking you might understand 'solitary' since you weren't responding to anything else."

"Asshole."

"Troglodyte." I could tell by the look on his face that he had no fucking clue what a troglodyte was when he started wandering towards the kitchen.

Sookie waited for him to open the freezer before she whispered, "Thank you," and kissed my cheek.

"Any time. Would you like me to go to the toy store? You don't have cable… some wooden puzzles might keep him busy."

She snorted quietly and shook her head. "You know, I still check his feet… when we were kids, he always put his shoes on the wrong feet." That was… _not surprising_.

I put my hands on her shoulders and ushered her into the kitchen slowly, whispering along the way. "At least your parents' efforts improved with practice."

Jason was already sitting at the table with a Dreamscicle, inspiring Sookie to get her own.

Sookie still had her hands in the freezer when Jason joked, "Don't get one for him. His hands are already like ice… What? D'you put a window unit in upstairs?" Apparently, he'd heard Sookie and me joke about fucking, but missed the Vampire part of our chat.

I shook my head. "I just have cold hands." As soon as I sat down, Armani and Tina ran into the room and leapt onto my legs, supporting Pam's theory that cats had 'lap-radar'.

Jason pulled a disgusted face. "What the hell is…?" He stopped to grab his head and Sookie explained that we were waiting for a 'brain freeze' to pass. He finally continued after taking _**another**_ bite of ice cream. "What the hell is wrong with that one? It sick?"

Sookie shook her head and shooed my company away. "He'll feed you girls in a little bit. Get…" She took their place on my legs and peeled the paper from her snack while they hissed from their new spot next to the back door that had been repaired. "No. That's Armani. She's naturally hairless… Eric borrowed her from a friend because he was playing a prank. He wanted me to think he'd shaved Tina."

"You didn't buy it, did'ya?"

"Nope. I already knew Pam has hairless cats."

While he shook his head, he looked at me like _I was the one_ who needed a picture menu. "That's what you get for trying to pull one over on a telepath."

She shook her head. "Jesus. It's a good thing he already knows, _**you dolt**_."

"Pssh… he ain't been here since January and not found out about that."

"Fair enough… so… I guess you can sleep in Gran's room until your power and stuff is back on…"

"Alright. I'm tempted to take a blanket outside. I've been cooped up too long… Speaking of Gran though, you said we'd talk about what to do with her when I got out. I'm out… You can't keep her ashes on your dresser forever."

She shrugged. "Have you had any brilliant ideas? It doesn't feel right to just put her on the mantle."

"I dunno… I kinda think she shoulda been put with Grandpa… I get why you cremated her though. Thanks for waiting for me."

She nodded, but the two of them remained silent while they pondered what to do about Adele's remains. If I didn't join their efforts, I'd have spent too much time focusing on the delicate little nibbles Sookie was taking from her snack. She was going to be the end of me.

Jason offered, "I can't think of anything… I dunno… permanent."

Sookie shrugged again. "We could bury her ashes with Grandpa. I mean, the plaque is already there."

He shrugged. "She never complained… I was thinking, you know taking them somewhere, but it's not like she ever mentioned wanting to go anywhere like the Grand Canyon or nothin'."

Sookie cut her eyes in my direction and grinned. "We could take her to Atlantis." _That was an idea worth exploring…_ I had my mouth open to tell her I'd take them to the Canary Islands for the weekend and suggest that they could scatter Adele's ashes on Mount Teide…

But Jason snorted, "_Her and those books.._. D'you think about the library?"

Sookie nodded. "Yeah, but the mayor is hoping to build a new one in a few years." That idea…

Even though my area of expertise was _hiding_ remains rather than _paying respect_ to them, I offered, "A suggestion?"

They both turned to look at me, eagerly waiting for input.

"Since Adele loved to read more than anything, a library _would_ be fitting."

Sookie nodded. "No argument there, but I wouldn't want to do it if they're just gonna tear it down. And it was the only library she ever really went to."

"If not her library, perhaps _**THE**_ Library."

Sookie's eyes lit up. "The Library of Congress?" I loved that I didn't have clarify my train of thought for her.

"Every book she could've ever read is there and _there's an enclosed courtyard_."

Jason shook his head. "Where is that? DC?"

Sookie nodded excitedly. "Jason, it's the _world's largest library_. The main building is more than a hundred years old and I think it's the size of a city block. It's not going anywhere."

He smiled at his sister. "Sounds right up her alley."

Sookie grabbed my hand. "You'll go too, right?"

"If I'm welcome…"

"Gran would want you to be there… You belong there. She loved you like she loved us." It would've been fantastic to remember that.

I caught Jason's shrug in my periphery. "Hell, if nothin' else, it was your idea." I'd have thought that he'd consider my presence an intrusion… I wasn't going to give him the chance to change his mind.

"I'll arrange for plane tickets and lodgings… Is there anything else you'd like to do while we're there?"

She shook her head. "I've never been that far from home… Think you can _clear your schedule_ to take me to the top of the Washington Monument?" It was too interesting to me… I knew flying in a plane alarmed her, yet she was infatuated with the concept of flying with me.

"Absolutely and we can go to Theodore Roosevelt Island for a while when we're done…"

Jason interrupted, tossing his popsicle stick into the bin as he stood up. "Awesome. Now that that's settled, I'm gonna go enjoy a bathroom with a door on it." Charming.

As soon as he was around the corner, Sookie turned to wrap her arms around my neck and kissed me. Her lips were sticky from ice cream and her mouth tasted sweeter than usual, orange and vanilla… she grunted and whimpered when I pulled her closer…

She put her forehead against mine when she ran out of air. "The Library is perfect. Thank you."

"I'm happy to help."

"At the risk of sounding ignorant, what's on Roosevelt Island?"

I let my fangs down to answer, "Nothing."

She giggled, _without argument_, and was still blushing when her brother returned.

"So Sook, you got Uncle Bartlett's number so I can see if he wants to go? I know he probably cain't and all…"

Her satisfaction didn't fade. It was gone in an instant and replaced with agitation. She was the emotional equivalent of a cactus.

"No. Fuck him. I was nice enough to let him come to the church service…" His mouth was open, possibly to ask why she'd snub their uncle, but she cut him off. "Hey Eric, you wanna go take care of your girlfriends? They're glaring at me like you're cheating on them."

"While I'm gone, you should call Tray. He left his 4th message just before you returned. You've given him more gray hair."

She nodded and kissed my cheek as she stood up, seemingly grateful for a diversion from the topic of Bartlett.

I couldn't tell if she wanted to talk to Jason in private or if she hadn't wanted to discuss the topic of Uncle Bartlett at all, but they were yelling before I was out of the yard…

And still going when I returned.

While I 'freed' the four mice from their traps, Sookie told Jason to 'drop it' because it wasn't any of his business.

He yelled back, "All this time and Gran's brother… _**that fucker**_ hasn't even checked on y'all!?" That was abhorrent. Even if the man was a pauper, he should've been calling to ask about their health. I had a nagging feeling… I couldn't help but wonder if a memory was trying to come to the surface, or if I was too curious about why Sookie seemed to be struggling to not talk about the topic near me.

"Gran wouldn't have accepted anything from him anyway."

"Gimmie, your keys."

"What?"

"Gimmie. Your. Keys. I'm gonna go beat his wrinkled ass!"

"I'm not giving you my keys so you can go beat up an old man. Assault will put you right back in jail!"

The cats rushed past me to enjoy their hunt as I walked into the house and Jason growled, "He should've been doing something to help y'all…" As soon as Jason saw me from where they were bickering in the living room. "Hey Eric, can I get a ride to Shreveport?"

I shook my head. "Don't put me in the middle of a disagreement I have no place in."

Sookie balled her fists up stepped towards him. "Dammit Jason! He's not worth it. Just stop. We had Eric here to look after us."

"_**IT. AIN'T. RIGHT**_. He left y'all to rot!"

"No he didn't. _**WE**_ left _**HIM**_ to rot."

"I know he ain't got much, but he coulda been helping!"

I felt her lie before she started, "That's what Eric was for. He paid every bill I couldn't. And Gran had him helping around the house..."

"Like what?"

"He got rid of those dead branches in that tree by our bedrooms before they fell and busted up the roof. He tightened every nut and bolt on every piece of furniture in the house and dragged every rug out to the yard to clean them. He cut grass and raked leaves. He put a new belt on the washer and fixed the stove so the oven and burners could be used at the same time. From January 1st, Gran rested her 'old bones' next to a fire he lit for her so that she wouldn't have to go into the cold to get the wood and make her arthritis worse. Hell, he cut more wood than Paul Bunyan to save us from paying for the heat…"

As she added to the list, I could see myself in each task, Adele sitting nearby, keeping me company while I toiled. A sampler of my evenings in Bon Temps. No specific conversations or topics, just the feeling of being comfortable and welcome. Other than the cause for being in Bon Temps, 'life' had been simple, enjoyable… My existence full of give and take that meant exchanging unsavory favors and obscene amounts of money had been replaced with something far more _peacefully _symbiotic.

No bottom lines. No political subterfuge. No pomp and pageantry.

Trust. Safety. Good company. Modesty… and the overwhelming sensation that I didn't care about returning to my life… that I just wanted to remember it.

"…She wouldn't have let Bartlett pay to fix the place up anymore than she let Eric. Eric was here to keep her company and I felt safer for having him here… We had Eric and he was more than enough."

He finally relaxed, melting from irate to behaving calmly. "Yeah?"

"Really Jason."

"How'd ya find Eric then?"

"He was looking into the old Compton place and wandered this way. Gran kept him like a stray."

Churches had been built on less beautiful lies.


	9. Chapter 9

**Death's Door**

**Chapter 9**

**High Cotton**

I'd waited for Sookie and Jason's argument about Bartlett (and all of the subtext that made me wish I could read minds) to fizzle out before going to get my shower and by the time I was done, Tray was standing in the foyer with Nate.

He'd congratulated Jason on his release and when I joined them, Tray was pointing out his 'new grays' while Sookie apologized for 'just missing' him all day. She rattled off her list of errands as though she was checking in with a parent.

Sookie asked if Tray minded if she took more time off so that she could see to Adele's remains… Other than missing her at the garage, he didn't mind at all, not that I expected he would.

While Jason was distracted with company, I went to the kitchen for my 'meal' that had been carefully hidden under the bags of lima beans and kale in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. It had previously been the case that bagged blood was the best blood available unless one was willing to feed from healthy children and I never had been… Even though I warmed it, I still had to choke it down. I wanted Sookie.

To explain my reason for being in the kitchen, I took a Dreamsicle to Nate and was rewarded with another high five. Tray groaned that it was his fourth one of the day while the boy ripped the wrapper and shoved it into his father's pocket, seeming just as excited as Pam did when she received new clothing.

When 'our' company left I took my laptop to the living room so that we could discuss travel arrangements.

Sookie sat next to me with her legs curled up and watched the screen, resting her head on my shoulder.

She couldn't have been more content to watch while catching up with her brother until she noticed that I was booking seats in first class.

"What's wrong with coach?"

"Benutrymme."

She studied my face like the answer was written on it. "Ummmm… ben… ben is leg, right?"

"It is."

"Leg… leg_… leg__**room**__?_"

I nodded. "Benutrymme."

She giggled. "Ok Stretch, you've got me there..."

Jason shook his head. "What the hell is that? Like… German?"

"Swedish." Sookie giggled when she realized we answered him at the same time.

He grunted, "Huh… why the hell Swedish? I mean I've had Swedish breakfasts, and had the Swedish flu, but 'round here, talkin' Spanish would be better." Sookie buried her face between my shoulder and the sofa.

"Swedish came up because I was born there… Do I want to know what the fuck you're talking about?"

"When you wake up and you only have time for sex OR breakfast before work. You pick sex, _**that's**_ a Swedish breakfast… and Swedish flu is calling in sick to stay home and fuck all day."

I rolled my eyes, hoping I could keep Jason away from Pam so her vocabulary wouldn't expand. "So to clarify, is it that Swedes' priority is fucking or Scandinavians in general?" Sookie quietly dared me to deny it, making it hard to keep a straight face.

"I dunno, dude. If you go by all the slang I know, Swedes know how to have fun, but I guess that's better than Dutch people… all that stuff involves farting… Dutch ovens, Dutch tuxedos, Dutch thunderstorms…" Lovely.

"I'll skip that lesson, thanks."

"And Vikings were just nuts."

"_**That**_ I'll hear." Sookie left the sofa and claimed to be letting the cats in as an excuse to leave the room.

"_Ummmmm_… A Viking baptism is when ya beat the shit out of a guy and then piss on him while he's down…"

"I like that one."

"Me too… A Viking Ball is when a bunch of guys go out and they fuck shit up until everyone gets arrested. And a Viking Massage is…" He stopped to make sure Sookie wasn't on her way back and whispered, "When you grab the back of a girl's head right before you cum and shove her down so you nut in her throat." _There was a name for that?_

Sookie returned to the living room shaking her head. "Alright. That's it. Y'all are done. Talking about it is one thing, but dammit Jason, you're picturing it…" She elbowed me when she sat down. "Stop encouraging him."

He rolled his eyes. "You got shields. Use 'em."

"I'm out of practice. I've been home for four days now…"

"He's here. He doesn't get any privacy?"

"I can't hear him."

"NO SHIT!?"

She nodded. "No shit."

"Hell, I was wondering how you were holdin' hands… wait. He ain't a mind reader too, is he?"

I started making our hotel reservations and answered, "_**He's**_ in the room and no, I'm not a mind reader…"

Sookie glanced at the screen and interrupted… "Ok. Legroom is a good excuse to fly first class, but are you going to tell me that a 5-star hotel is the only way you can get a big bed?"

I raised an eyebrow, wishing I could at least push thoughts to her. "Vänliga."

"Is vänliga Swedish for spoiled?"

"No. Think about the root."

"Vän... is friend... so... friendly? You've stayed there before... or..." I felt it dawn on her that by friendly, I meant _**vampire**_ friendly.

I nodded. "They have a spa and a pool. _You'll be able to lay out_." Shirts.

She giggled, "Ok. Now I have to know what the Swedish word for spoiled is."

"I'm not telling you."

"Fine. I'll ask Pam and get the translation of brat and poor sport while I'm at it."

"Not if I command her not to translate, you won't... our plans are made, by the way. Our flight leaves tomorrow night at 9:25."

She was immediately distracted. "Is that going to be enough time for you to be up and ready?"

"Two hours is plenty of time as long as I pack tonight... I need to go to my house and grab a few things. Do you need to take Jason to his house so he can pack?"

Jason shook his head. "I can get Sook to run me to my house tomorrow... If you got a house, why are you staying here?"

"I stay here because I like it here... I'll leave you two to catch up. I won't be long... I'll take Armani and Tina to Pam while I'm out."

Jason scowled. "You ain't got like a family or whatever, do ya? One a' them fucks who 'goes on business trips' and shacks up with a newer make and model in another town? What's that, a baligamist?" Sookie crashed onto the sofa to laugh into the cushions.

I was only slightly less affected. I chuckled, "Bigamists have more than one wife secretly. Polygamists have droves of wives and they wear bizarre, matching clothing. I'm a bachelor. Would you like to join me for the fresh air… you can search my house for diapers and stockings."

Sookie piped up. "Am I invited?"

"I was planning to take my new car."

She narrowed her eyes and practically growled. "Alright. Do you mind letting me play with your computer."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I was thinking I could peruse your videos, maybe do some reading." _That little_… She was not watching that video without me.

"Get ready to leave."

If I wasn't going to be 'allowed' to test drive my new car, I was going to get _something_ out of the errands. The bait was barely on the hook before Jason seized it… I offered to drive the Escalade or let Jason drive a Corvette. He snatched Sookie's purse from her and dug for her key on his way through the yard. Poor me… Sookie was forced to sit in my lap for the 40 minute drive while she and Jason discussed Adele's personal effects such as her wedding rings.

Forty minutes of squirming and shivering while I ran my hands over everything Sookie's brother couldn't see… the occasional spark offered by shifting her because 'my leg was going tosleep'… playing cruel little games with myself… the fact that Sookie was letting me use her as my own torture device was rousing enough without considering that she smelled a little sweeter with every fucking touch and rub.

The last thing I wanted to do when the car stopped in front of Pam's house was leave Sookie's warmth, but I'd been lucky enough that Pam had 'company'.

Sookie was blushing before I let us in… her slightly heightened hearing and telepathy clued her in to Pam's fun.

I released Tina and Armani and left the Stackhouse siblings in the living room to go intrude… as I opened the bedroom door Sookie gasped that I should 'at least knock first'.

As though knocking would've mattered… Pam barely pulled herself away from gorging at a thigh in a pile of 3 moaning and writhing brunettes. "What can I do for you, _**Jan**_?"

"Don't mind me. I'm just returning your Armani and delivering Tina. We need a pet sitter. We're going out of town for a few days. Tell me that you can refrain from eating the wrong pussy." Her company giggled.

"I can try. You'll be in contact though, yes?" One of the toys began crawling in my direction, so I held my hand up to stop her.

"If you need me. I've already sent the details to your email account. How often are you checking in?"

"Nightly because of the coup. Management seems content. Don't disappear again."

"Of course not. Enjoy your evening."

When I turned to leave Pam called, "Hello Sookie! How are you tonight?"

Sookie answered, "I'm great Pam. How about you?"

Pam purred, "_Fabulous_… care to join us? We could use a tie-breaker." _That reminded me…_

I turned around and swatted Pam's ass, _for all the good it did_. "That's for not telling me that Sookie knew about Armani." She turned just long enough to give me an unapologetic shrug.

When I turned again, Sookie was standing in the doorway to Pam's room with a wicked smile on her face. "No boys, right?" Not funny.

They were both cackling when I grabbed Sookie and carried her back to the front of the house.

Sookie was still giggling quietly over her little joke… while Jason drove to my house, she actually cooed that I was cute when I was 'spun up'.

When I growled, I was told _that_ was cute too.

My only reprieve came in the form of more aggravating topics. As soon as we turned into my neighborhood, Jason grumbled, "Minivans, privacy fences, pools… family neighborhood… _ain't got another family my ass_."

Sookie slapped her brother's arm. "Oh Jason, shut up already. _He isn't hiding a wife and kids from me._ Pam's the closest thing he's got to a wife and she's more like the bratty kid sister he works with." _Perfectly put._

"Pssh… _don't know what that's like at all_. So… what? Are you like one of them basement dwellers? One of those guys that lives with his parents until they make him move out? _You got a room full a' Star Wars action figures?_"

I shook my head and directed him to turn onto my street. "Funny, but no. My family has been gone for a long time… Upper middle class family neighborhoods offer a certain amount of privacy. Soccer moms tend to be too busy impressing each other to be stalkers and their husbands are usually too unhappy to look up from their shoes unless it's to flirt with the nanny."

"So while the husbands are at work, you're waiting for school buses to get the kids out of your way?"

"Actually since I'm a bit of a night owl, while the husbands slithered away with their mistresses, their wives hired babysitters so they could take their girlfriends to my bar to flirt with me."

He grunted, "_Nice_… So which bar?" Moment of truth time… Sookie held her breath. I was just waiting for him to pull into my driveway and kill the engine.

I answered, "Fangtasia."

He pushed himself out of the car and waited for Sookie and me to meet him on the sidewalk. "Fangtasia? Ain't that the Vampire bar?"

"It was. It closed. I lost interest in it." Lost interest/ forgot. Tomayto/tomahto.

"Damn. What that hell's that like? To be 'round Vampires every night like that?" I wanted to laugh, but Sookie actually did. I'm not sure he noticed her snickering since he was gaping at the staircase when we walked into the house.

"More boring than you could possibly imagine."

"Boring? I wouldn't figure it'd be boring? I mean… how the hell d'you hire bouncers? Ain't Vamps strong as shit?" Still not catching on.

"Vampires tend to behave in public. The Humans were a bulk of the problem. There was no less than one cat-fight every night over one absurd situation after another… What's your favorite fast food restaurant?"

"Wendy's. Why?"

"When you go to Wendy's, do you stay there or do you get your meal and go home?"

"Drive thru?"

I nodded. "Pam joked that we should install a takeout window. The Vampires would only be there long enough to find dinner and leave. The younger ones caused trouble from time to time because they didn't have full control over their hunger or strength… Humans would gather and drink until they caused fights or staggered home."

"Shit. That does sound boring. Sounds like every bar I ever been to when I think about it. College kids picking fights while the older customers sit back and wish they'd shut the fuck up and find a keg party somewhere."

"A bar is a bar. I've owned several. I don't miss any of them."

"So what are you going to do now that that's closed?"

"I thought it might be fun to buy the property adjoining Merlotte's and have it rezoned."

"A bar right next to another bar, in a town that small?"

"I didn't say I'd open anything, but it would be fun to see the look on Merlotte's face when he finds out we're neighbors. If I were to build, I'd probably open something less obvious. Bon Temps doesn't have a pizza parlor."

He started laughing, "_Shiiiiiiit_, there's a lot Bon Temps don't have… wanna have some real fun? Open a mall with a food court."

I smiled at the 'retard' for a moment. "The best part of that idea is… during construction…"

Jason finished, "Sam'd roll around in the cash from all the construction crew traffic… As soon as that shit opened, he'd be crippled. Bye bye Sammy… I never liked that two-faced bitch."

Sookie finally added to the conversation. "You know, y'all are just evil. I was thinking that it would be awesome to have the jobs out there now that there's been a population boon." The Long Tooth factor only sweetened the idea.

I leaned against the kitchen counter and started an email to my Property Manager 'from Pam' instructing him to look in to available properties in Bon Temps… the closer to Merlotte's, the better.

I felt Sookie's eyes on me while I typed and she peeked over to read and gasped, "NO. YOU. DON'T. That's just…"

"It doesn't have to be a mall. That could be a zoning nightmare. I want to see my options."

"Do you lie to me just so I'll slap you?" Maybe.

When I was done, I slid my phone back into my pocket and winked on my way down to my room.

Sookie followed me so closely that I might as well have had her on a leash.

"We should probably just tell him at this point."

"You're reading his thoughts to test his take on things?"

"Yeah… Sweetie, he likes you and all, but in case you haven't noticed, Jason lacks certain social graces. He's wondering how you ended up being an 'orphan' because of how we lost our folks, so if you aren't _usually_ comfortable talking about your family, then I suggest you drop the fang bomb."

"Noted. Now can we talk about your ongoing game of 'not-Mine'?"

She snorted, "No. You know I'm just messing around and I doubt you'd have kept Pam around so long if she didn't know where her line in the sand is. Not only is Pam not my type, I'm pretty freaking sure that she isn't any Sookie's type."

"You have insight about the Pam/Sookie coupling?"

"I spent some time on it because my mind wanders when I lay out… You're the one that brought up constants. While I can recognize that Pam is _absolutely stunning_, I don't swing that way."

"Hence other Sookies wouldn't either?"

"I'm 99% positive Sookie cooked up the joke to get to Eric… kinda like I joke around to spin you up."

"Because _**you all**_ think it's 'cute'."

She giggled instead of answering and examined her feet to avoid eye contact.

"Sookie, is this one of those stupid Human games? Am I being tested?"

She walked over, smiling brightly enough for it to feel warm, and sliding her hands behind my back. "I think I might be testing myself."

"How so?"

"Well… that Mine business is a bit off-putting at first… but I don't think I mind it so much..."

"So the teasing you've been doing has just been 'trying Mine on for size'?" _I could deal with that._

She stretched up to kiss my chin, winking as she left me. "…And I'm starting to like the sound your fangs make. You pack. I'm going to go check a couple books out of the Northman Library."

My closet door was barely open when Sookie was cut off by Jason on the stairs. "Oh thank God. I didn't wanna walk in on something… Look, Eric's got company." Oh shit.

Sookie asked, "Did they give a name?"

"Naw… but the guy looks like…" He paused before he whispered, "He looks like a bad Elvis impersonator." I'll be damned.

Before I could tell them that he was welcome, Sookie squealed and her feet pounded up the steps. "Outta my way Jas… _**Eric, Bubba's alive!**_" How the fuck did she know who Bubba was?

I didn't waste any time catching up to her… I was directly behind Sookie when Bubba spotted her and the idiot's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Miss Sookie! I'm glad to see ya! I was hoping I'd get the chance to thank ya for lookin' out for me the way ya done." Explanations needed to start and fast.

She was excited to her core to see him. "Seeing you're alright is all the thanks I need. We thought you died. Where've you been keeping yourself?"

"Well, after you warned me like ya done, I told some'my friends 'bout things and went up Branson way… It's real good to see you too, Mr. Eric. Ain't nobody think you made it out of Shreveport."

"Thank you. Welcome back, Bubba. How do you know Sookie?"

"Well, I… Me and Pam was takin' turns lookin' for ya. You know 'cus she can feel you and I can chase ya. We was sure you was out there, but you're pretty slippery when ya wanna be." Even without a memory, I'd outsmarted the hapless fool.

"Thank you."

"Anyhow, I stopped for gas one night and Miss Sookie here, she had me pegged as a Vampire straight off. She said she had Werewolf friends and told me that she heard things was just gettin' worse and worse. I might be smart to take a vacation. Didn't even take muh car with me. Left it at muh house and just took the clothes I could carry." That would be why Pam assumed he'd been taken and drained.

"Who knew Branson would save you? I thought you tried to stay away from places like that." Branson, Nashville, Memphis… they'd all been places he'd been recognized in no matter how careful he was.

"Yes sir, but I didn't stand out like I used to, even did some karaoke… I got news that VooDoo devil woman lost her luck and I came right back to check in with muh Sheriff."

"Then you should be checking in with Pam. She's acting as Sheriff for me. It's complicated, but we aren't explaining that I was discovered yet."

I was met with confusion. Bubba's mouth was hanging open, but Jason had been party to the whole conversation.

Judging by the way he flailed his arms, Jason had reached his tipping point. "HOLD. THE. FUCK. UP!"

Sookie put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. Did y'all introduce yourselves. Bubba, that's my brother Jason. Jason…"

Jason boomed, "Y'ALL. SAID. VAMPIRES! Y'all said Vampires and Werewolves and VooDoo and Sheriffs… Jesus, Mary, and Joseph on Food Stamps, Sook!"

Sookie started her explanation with a deep breath. "Jason, Eric and Bubba are Vampires. There was some ugly stuff going on in Shreveport these last few months because a Witch came through and did what Hitler did to Poland. Bubba, she was _Wiccan not VooDoo_. Things are clear now, but most of the Vampires and Werewolves had to lay low to save their own asses."

"Werewolves?"

She shook her head. "Your dumb ass was surprised to hear about Vampires too… YOUR SISTER'S A TELEPATH! There's more than just Vampires. Damn!" And still… he had absolutely no reaction to the idea of Witches.

I actually pictured a lightbulb appear over his head when his expression changed. "Oh… well, what's a Vampire Sheriff for?"

"Eric makes sure all the Vampires act like good little boys and girls. His job isn't much different from Bud's, except Eric's actually good at it. He's been the Sheriff here since Mom and Daddy were babies."

"Well… shit… I was wonderin' what kind of blockhead would open a Vampire bar… since you are one, yeah, not so stupid."

My eyes rolled on their own. "Thanks, I think."

He started shaking his head again. "Hold up. I wanna see fangs!"

Sookie gasped, "Jason!" and punched his arm.

"Hey! You been playing pranks on me since before you started school! This… this would be right up your alley!"

Having been her victim I understood his plight, so I took sympathy and actually showed my fangs on command for once. Sookie was denying her evil streak when Jason twitched seeing them slide down… and Bubba followed suit.

He was still staring at my mouth when Sookie rolled her eyes and started stomping towards the study. "Y'all are gonna have to bite him. Now he's trying to figure out if your fangs are Halloween props."

I shook my head. "That won't be happening, Jason."

"Well, damn. Now I don't feel so bad about how fast you put me on my ass… Did Sookie say Hitler was a Witch?"

"He wasn't, but the reason there's so much mystery surrounding how he died is because he tried to put the wrong man on a train to Chelmno…"

Sookie laughed from the study, "Gran called that one right!"

Since Bubba's arrival slowed down the progression of the evening, I took him to my room so that we could talk while I packed. Specifically, I needed to explain that I'd be reimbursing his account immediately. Had someone executed my will as hastily, I might've been pissed, but Bubba was too excited that listening to Sookie's kindhearted advice had kept him alive long enough to worry about his finances.

I'd packed two bags. One to take to DC and the other was full of things I wanted to keep in Bon Temps _like every fucking T-shirt I owned. _

Bubba didn't want to leave without thanking 'Miss Sookie' again and followed me to the study where Sookie was still perusing the bookshelves.

Once he was gone, she turned back to the books. "I didn't make the connection until you were talking to Tray. I wouldn't have said anything to him normally, but… have you ever seen it take anyone 3 tries to get their pump and their tank on the same side? I assumed Pam had some sort of confirmation."

I slipped my arms around her waist. "I figured."

"I wasn't sure what I'd be in the mood for, so I grabbed Monte Cristo and Sophocles so I could finish it, if you don't mind. Thanks to the fever the other night, I kept dozing off."

"I don't mind."

"All packed? Ready to go home?"

"We could stay here tonight. That would give us some extra time tomorrow night."

She giggled, "Hoping for a Swedish breakfast?"

"Maybe… I couldn't help but notice that you were watching me make our travel arrangements."

"Sorry. It didn't seem like you hated it… I won't do it anymore if…"

"I noticed that you watched, but you didn't argue about the fact that I only booked two rooms." She also hadn't put up an honest argument about the cost (and none about my paying for it). Even after she made it difficult, if not fun, for me to pay her bills, she seemed willing to accept my help. I was confused about it until I realized that she was considering the expense as my way of caring for Adele.

She bit the inside of her mouth and glared to hide how amused she was that I'd caught her. "I figured you had your reasons."

"I do…" I lifted her and put her on my desk.

She snickered, "I bet you do. Are you ready to go home?"

"I'm ready to go to bed."

She licked her lips. "Well, there's a small problem with that plan… Jason and I didn't pack anything…"

"You can go shopping tomorrow."

"No. You can wait. We have reading to do."

"The last time we did that, your mood soured."

She scoffed, "I think I had an excuse. I mean, I'm jealous that they were so lucky. But the Blue pages are a little less shiny. We know that Gran is gone too, and they ended up seeing a rougher road than the August Us. I think you just don't want to read about being a King." Not when I was trying to think of a way to escape the snares of being Sheriff.

"No. I don't want to read because I'd rather fuck."

"That too..." She giggled, as she pushed herself from the desk slowly. "Let's head out. I promised Jason that we'd go to Wendy's for junk food. He's craving snacks because there isn't any of that in jail. The best he could get was whatever me or Gran took to him on visiting day. He was lovin' it once you came to stay with us."

"Why is that?"

"Because you… Oh, ummm, do you want to know, or do you want to remember it?"

"Earlier, when you were telling Jason about chores I'd done, I remembered doing them."

She grinned. "That would explain a lot… Ok, the Compton place was a big plantation back in the day. Apparently, you'd done some exploring and found the old orchard. Apples, pears, figs and pecans… Gran was ticked that she hadn't thought about it earlier… she was baking up a storm and loved every second of it because she didn't have to feel guilty about the cost."

"How did she explain the baking then?"

She yelled for Jason that we were leaving before hugging my arm. "She didn't. There's no way she could've since you brought her enough to fill the bed of a pickup. That sneaky little biddy was using the living room at the Compton place as a root cellar. She kept a big bowl of fruit on the counter and it was 'magically' replenished no matter how much baking she did. I'll give her one thing, it took me a month to notice."

"That would explain why I smelled her in that house… Was she usually so clever?"

We waited at the front door for Jason and Sookie called for him again. "Clever, yes, but she hated lying. I stopped asking questions after a while because it was eating her up."

"Did you ask about the fruit?"

She shook her head before resting it on my arm. "I didn't have to. I'd just noticed something was up… She came out to the porch to fuss that I was using a hammer to crack some pecans and she thought of how much quieter it was when you did it for her. You just pinched them."

"I'm not remembering like I did earlier. I can't even picture anything with any certainty."

She squeezed my arm and sighed, "I can tell."

"How?"

"Because when you've remembered something before, your mind gets… I guess the word would be severe."

"Severe? Do you mean angry?"

"No… like… _like_ _staring into headlights_. Bright. You liked being in Bon Temps about as much as Gran liked having you there."

"I know. I wouldn't have suggested… Sookie, what was my mind like the night I was found?"

She huffed, "Miserable. The darkest I'd felt. Like when Gran died… and crazy busy."

"I'm not sure I wanted to be found."

"_Noooo_… it was just that you were enjoying your vacation."

"I mentioned wanting to buy the Compton estate when I still knew what a dump it was. I wanted to stay. I wanted to be there." Close to Sookie. Remembering the video… I'd said I was frustrated. Given the mindset I'd been in when I first watched it, I assumed that I was frustrated over having amnesia for months… suddenly, I was certain that my frustration was because I'd been found, and my simple life was being replaced with inescapable obligations. I'd admitted being frustrated because Pam would've felt as much, but I hadn't elaborated.

"Eric, why would you have wanted to be there? Unless you were working up the nerve to try to trust me, you had to be miserably alone since Gran passed."

"Both are likely. I seemed adamant about pursuing you in the video."

She hummed as she let go of me to go after her brother. "There's another question for you, sweetie. Why would you want to pursue me? Gran couldn't have talked me up that much and other than telling me to leave True Bloods in the baby section of the cemetery for you, we'd never talked."

Good question…

I was still trying to put it all together while we were on our way _home_.

Sookie had pulled my arms around her and rubbed her thumbs over my knuckles for the drive, leaving me to ponder, maybe even monitoring my mind in the hopes that I might have some sort of explanation come to me. I was trapped though. I knew that Adele had spoken of her. I knew that I'd been close enough to smell her. I knew that I preferred my vacation to my life… there were still pieces missing. Something else had to have happened.

I still wasn't coming to any rational conclusions as I stacked firewood in the fireplace while Sookie gathered laundry.

Jason offered to help, but when I declined, he took a seat on Adele's chair. "I didn't wanna leave your den. Not only is your entertainment center awesome, but it was nice to be able to flip channels somewhere comfy."

"I'm sure."

"So you're a Vampire?"

"I am."

"I thought y'all were pretty badass. I didn't know Witches were that big a deal."

"They aren't usually. That one in particular was genetically a Werewolf who simply trained as a Witch and boosted her strengths by drinking Vampire blood."

"Was?"

"Yes. Past tense. She's dead."

"Damn. I always thought witches and e'erthing else was, you know, just superstition. Gran talked about that stuff, but I always just thought she was reading too much."

"Most superstitions are based on something real. You've heard the horseshoe lore, yes?"

"Yeah yeah yeah… hang one by the door. Good luck can get in, bad luck cain't. Right?"

"It's as old as horseshoes being made from iron. As it turns out, Faeries are more susceptible to iron than Vampires are to silver. Supernaturals would hang something iron in their entry as a warning that Faeries weren't welcome. When Humans asked, they were told it was for luck."

"No shit? Why'd anyone want to hurt a Faerie though? Ain't they cute?"

"Faeries aren't 'cute'. They're gorgeous and alluring, as well as being _deranged con artists_."

Sookie was passing through with a laundry basket and stopped in her path. "Watch it, buddy."

I looked over my shoulder, innocently enough. "Present company excluded, of course." Jason didn't seem to catch on.

"That's what I thought... Where's your laptop?"

"I'm not sure. I seem to have lost it."

"The word is 'hidden'. You've _**hidden**_ it."

"I have not." Her eyebrow went up as she turned to go back to her bedroom. "You're being evil."

She answered me with a raspberry.

The next time I saw Sookie, her outfit explained the mischievous streak I'd felt.

She was wearing the borrowed pair of my silk boxers and a tiny tank top that wasn't meant to cover much. I was being punished for my contrary behavior.

But there was more…

Once Sookie had done the chores she wanted to do, she came back to the living room, with Sophocles and two bowls, offering 'fried ice cream' to Jason.

Whatever the fuck fried ice cream was, she sat on the opposite end of the sofa while the scent of honey and vanilla filled the room in spite of the fire… and she practically killed me with her spoon.

She debated with her brother about his plans to sleep outside because the temperature had dropped since the sun went down and discussed the errands they needed to run during the day.

And when her ice cream was gone… Sookie complained of a chill.

She pulled a sprig of the rosemary on the coffee table and tossed it into the fire as she stretched out in front of the fireplace on her stomach to start reading while Jason thanked her because that was what the fire was missing. I had the vaguest image of Adele tossing a stem into the fireplace too, but she hadn't done it with chilled nipples while wearing my underwear.

Jason, clueless cock-blocking retard that he was, turned the television on to watch Craig fucking Ferguson.

Why did Jason opt to watch a program that his sister had to explain? Because he liked the way Ferguson talked. If he liked Ferguson's accent so much, I could make sure he was surrounded by 'people colored Shreks' in no time… the asshole went as far as joking about how nice it was to not have a 'bedtime'…

After half an hour, Jason blurted out 'DING' and jokingly told Sookie to turn around so she'd cook evenly… Shifting changed my view from her legs and ass to her neck and chest. Not better.

Another 20 minutes later, while he was nodding off, Sookie practically sang her brother's name. When he answered, she soothingly reminded him how comfortable Adele's pillows were and that's all it took before he was staggering to the back of the house…

Once the door to Adele's room was closed, Sookie pushed herself from the floor. "Busy day tomorrow. Guess I'd better turn in too…" She leaned over to kiss my cheek… Nice try.

I pulled her onto my lap while she giggled. "You think you're hilarious, don't you?"

"What do you mean? Did we have plans?"

"We're being coy, Sookie? Really?"

"No. _We're _suffering from a one-track mind. I was planning to read, maybe just scan the journals for something about DC since the other Uses do a lot of traveling…"

"Why didn't you?"

"Because you 'lost' your laptop."

"No… You did. When Tina ran away from being put in her carrier, you moved it from the coffee…"

She slammed her head into my shoulder to hide her embarrassment. "_I'm soooooo sorry._ I thought you were joking around… _I forgot."_

"You forgot that you moved the laptop and decided to punish me by being practically naked."

"Um… no. I…" She started giggling. "_We're so even._ You thought I was up to something too. When I said he was simple, I wasn't kidding. When we were kids, we did PJs then ate our dessert while Gran told us a bedtime story."

"You were forcing hints to him."

"Yeah. He could've slept in that chair if I left him to it. Thank God he sleepwalks."

"Because you wanted to get rid of him?"

"We can't exactly discuss King Northman in front of him."

"I'm not interested in talking about…"

"Don't be a jerk about it. It can't be that bad."

"I'm more interested in My life. I could care less about the rest of them for now. Feel free to read them yourself, let me know if you have any questions, but there's still too much about this life that has my curiosity."

She tilted her head and studied me for a moment before she nodded. "Ok… but you know everything until January first, right?"

"I do. I'm preoccupied with what happened after Adele passed."

She frowned and put her warm hands on either side of my neck. "I wish I could help. I didn't ever lay eyes on you unless you were glamouring me."

"Was I still coming to the house?"

She nodded, but didn't elaborate.

"What was I doing?"

"Your laundry, bathing, using the microwave for your True Yuck. I'd stir in the middle of the night and feel you. I can't blame you for hanging out here instead of in that termite commune."

"What do you mean, you felt me?"

She shrugged. "In the house."

"You didn't lock the house when you went to sleep?"

"I… Gran taped that spare key under the porch swing for you. I'd have fussed if I ever came home and she'd left it unlocked."

"What did I say when I glamoured you?"

"Um… you snuck up on me so you were behind me with your hand over my mouth long enough to say you wouldn't hurt me." I could feel that she was only telling me half the story.

"The other night, when Sam was over, I told you that I'd smelled you. You knew right away that it was because you smell 'different'."

She nodded. "You'd told me as much while you thought I was glamoured, but for the record, the guys in the shop call me Cookie because they picked up that I smell sweet too."

"What else did I tell you, Sookie?"

She huffed, "You said that you were sorry you couldn't help… but you'd be watching out for me."

"What else did I do?"

"Nothing… three Fridays in a row, you'd grab me, smell me and re-glamour me to leave True Bloods for you."

"Is that all?"

"Eric…"

"Is. That. All?"

"This Friday, when you grabbed me, you felt my fever… Instead of glamouring me for True Bloods, you glamoured me to go to the doctor."

"But you didn't."

She shook her head. "I knew what it was. I'd caught it from Nate. He'd been to the doctor though. Just a viral fever."

"And Saturday, when both Mes found you on the bathroom floor?"

She whispered, "You didn't find me on the bathroom floor… I walked in on you in the shower. I wasn't supposed to be home until 11. I was dead on my feet, but I made it to the bathroom to take some Tylenol…" When she paused, my memory filled in the blanks…

"You said, 'don't mind me,' but when you turned to leave, you swayed…" She left me standing there, holding her up, trying to figure out how long she'd known about me.

She shrugged. "The last thing I remember was you catching me."

"Why didn't you say anything? I told the others that I'd heard you fall, that I hadn't spoken to you."

"I… I just went along because I thought it would be easier be the lie only 'rewrote' about 3 minutes out of three months. Truth be told, if I hadn't swayed, I was going to tell you I knew about you… And in Shreveport, when Pam was recording her message and you took me to get something to eat, we talked… We bitched at each other about money until I told you I knew about all the work you did around the house. The firewood and produce alone would've cost a hell of a lot more than the True Bloods, not to mention the repairs you did around the house."

"Did I remind you that you hadn't just fed me, that you'd saved me?"

"Yep. And I told you to shut up. You knew Gran… You knew she didn't raise me to take advantage of someone's vulnerabilities… I went to sleep every night trying to think of a way to help you… I hated it for you that you were all alone…"

_That was it._

_A bigger piece… I'd actually been on her bed, and the memory hadn't returned, but… something brought it back…_

_I was reading a copy of Piccadilly that had been left on the coffee table, sitting on Adele's chair, petting Tina while the little noises Sookie made in her sleep haunted me. _

_Sookie finally muttered something coherent in her sleep… _

"…_Nothing I can do. Stuck like that…"_

_I was too curious. Hopeful that I could have a conversation with her in her sleep simply because I'd caught myself talking to Tina while I'd watched her torment her dinner. I was starting to forget the sound of my own voice after only a week._

_I leaned against the frame of Sookie's bedroom door, resigned to the idea that I'd probably have to glamour her to forget my presence. "Sookie?"_

_She stirred enough to flip her pillow and hum into it and coo, "Hey."_

"_What are you dreaming about?"_

"_Poor Jason… He was still too upset about Gran to eat the pie I took him."_

"_Did you eat it?"_

"_No. I spit on it and gave it to Rene when I saw him at Merlotte's."_

_I chuckled quietly, "How do you know Arlene and her children won't eat it?"_

_She smiled into her pillow. "Because they're allergic to pecans."_

"_Good girl. You should make another one for Merlotte."_

"_He isn't worth the trouble of spitting… the way he acted after Gran's funeral."_

"_What did he do?"_

"_He offered to move in, buy the house, settle my debts… marry me."_

"_How adorably old fashioned of him."_

"_Old fashioned/archaic. Tomayto/tomahto."_

"_There are worse things than having someone want to take care of you."_

_She furrowed her brow. "It's insulting."_

"_That he offered to marry you?"_

"_No. That he wants to take care of me."_

"_Why is that?"_

"_He's doing it for the wrong reasons. He wants to take care of me because he thinks I can't do it myself and because he thinks that's what I want, like I'm some kind of gold-digger."_

"_What are the right reasons for wanting to take care of a person?"_

"_For small things? Compassion, sympathy… You know, making soup for a sick friend and…"_

"_Taking magazines and pies to your incarcerated brother?"_

"_Like that, yeah."_

"_On a larger scale then?"_

"_No one wants to be taken care of all the time."_

"_Gold-diggers do."_

"_Gran says they want to be spoiled because they're too broken to see the difference between possessions and love."_

"_Does the telepath have a second opinion?"_

_She chuckled sleepily, "The telepath thinks that gold-diggers are so empty that they need shiny camouflage."_

"_I like that analysis… So is there no way for someone to take care of Sookie Stackhouse?"_

"_Sure there is."_

"_How then?"_

"_Hypothetically speaking?"_

"_Of course."_

"_He'd have to let me take care of him too."_

"_I'm sure Merlotte could think of something you could do for him in return."_

"_Fuck him."_

"_Among other things."_

_She giggled loud enough that I thought she was going to wake up. "I didn't mean like that… You're right though."_

"_Then why fuck Merlotte?"_

"_I can't think of anyone who does so…"_

"_You're being difficult." Even in her sleep, and I was endlessly amused by it. My first conversation with her and she was already displaying the sass Adele joked about._

"_Because paying bills is all he's good for and he thinks it's enough. I'd rather be in debt with someone I can laugh with and trust my secrets to than walk in high cotton with frauds and strangers."_

"_You believe in the simple things?"_

"_Yep… High cotton doesn't last forever… What's left when the lights aren't on to make everything sparkle?"_

"_You sit in the dark and wait."_

_She hummed as she rolled over again and repositioned herself. "Not if you have someone with you that makes the dark fun… the lights don't have to be on to laugh or smile. You don't have to be wearing silk to feel safe. Jewelry doesn't buy trust."_

"_That's very idealistic of you."_

"_Maybe, but if I live a thousand years, I'll be damned if I'll ever settle for someone I couldn't stand to be alone with." _

_As it occurred to me that Sookie was in the dark with me with nothing but conversation and a stack of bills, the memory drove on… conversation after conversation, night after night for nearly a month… I spent a few nights getting a dose of her company from her doorway, a few more leaning against her dresser, getting braver still to sit on the end of her bed before I finally found myself lying on it with her. By the time I was discovered, by the time we were visited by our other selves, I was waiting for her to retire and climbing into bed with her where she'd instantly wrap herself around me like she had the first night we'd 'cuddled'._

_Pillow talk about random topics. Laughing and smiling into the darkness of her room. Keeping one another from an otherwise dreary existence. I enjoyed every fucking second of it and had to force myself away from her side every morning before her alarm went off at 6 so she could overwork herself. _

Sookie's eyes were already on mine as the memory passed. She was smiling even though she was biting her lip. "What… did I say something?"

"Were you awake?"

She glanced down at my legs with a puzzled look on her face.

"You let me think I was glamouring you."

"Yeah."

"When I was Jan, did I touch you?"

Her hands left my neck to cover her mouth. "Oh God, Eric… What did you remember?"

"I need you to tell me. Every time and how."

"When you… when you glamoured me you'd put your hand over my mouth. When I walked in on you in the shower, you caught me…"

"And?"

"Ummm… You're starting to freak me out."

"I need to know."

"On the way to Shreveport you fed…"

"And?"

She glanced away before her eyes came back to mine. "When you took me to get something to eat… you… well, you grabbed me... Kissed me…"

"Did I say anything when I kissed you?"

Her look became angrier. "_**You first**_. What did you remember?"

"I was coming into your room… from what I can tell it was nearly every night and it started shortly after Adele passed."

"I don't… _remember_. Eric, I must've been sleeping. What happened?"

"I remembered climbing into bed with you and talking until just before your alarm clock was set to wake you."

"Every night? What did we talk about?"

"Everything."

"I… I thought I was crazy lonely… I thought I was just dreaming that we were talking. I only remembered a little bit and just for a few minutes then it would fade away like any other dream."

"Are you sure I never… If you can sleep through hours of talking… I could've been feeding from you."

She shook her head, far more positive than I was. "You. Looked. Like. Shit. There's no way you were getting real blood… You know what, _call Pam_. She could tell you what you looked like before you got my blood. She rode separately to Fangtasia. When we got there she said something about how much better you looked."

"And… you're sure I never touched you."

She nodded. "You… when you kissed me… you said you'd wanted to do that for a while."

"There would've been a list if I was lying in bed with you every night. What else did I say?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath like she was bracing herself. "You said… you said you'd find a way out of your trap so that you could come back. You didn't want to walk in high cotton unless you could keep me." High cotton.

"What did you say?"

"I thought you and Pam were together. I didn't… I made a joke about you learning southernisms from Gran in exchange for Swedish lessons. You said you'd heard it from me."

I nodded and tucked a section of hair behind her ear. "The first night I talked to you, you told me that you'd 'ratherbe in debt with someone you can laugh with and trust your secrets to than walk in high cotton with frauds and strangers'_._"

She shrugged. "Who'd want to settle for someone they can't stand to be alone with?"

"You said that too… and _we're alone_."

She nodded and whispered, "I know."

"You make me laugh."

"Oh yeah, _I'm a riot."_

"I trust you more than I've ever trusted anyone."

"You shouldn't. God only knows what I say in my sleep."

"I'm not joking."

"I know."

"_**I am**_ going to find a way out of my trap."

She shook her head. "You'll just get bored. You'll get bored and you'll resent me for it."

"I want to stay here."

"Bon Temps is just a vacation."

I shook my head. "No. You are. I'm going to keep you."

"I don't want you to go, but… I don't want you to give up your life to stay with me."

"I wouldn't be sacrificing anything I'd miss. I'm just taking out the garbage."

"Why? Because I helped you out? Because I…"

"Because I'm happy here. I'm happy with you. I'm going to keep you."

She shoved herself from my lap and stomped towards the kitchen. "You need to just… stop."

I followed. "Stop what?"

"This. This is all just… leftovers. You… You're going to go back. You're going to go back to being Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5. You're going to get a grip on who you are and eventually Jan's going to be a footnote, a decimal point, a bad dream you shook off and I'll go with the rest of the dream. You're going to leave because nothing good ever fucking happens to me and even if you can keep your telepathic girlfriend a secret for a while, what happens… what happens…" She started gasping for air through her tears and pushed me away when I reached for her. "She'll kill at least one of us. We don't get to be happy."

I darted around behind her so that she wouldn't have the chance to fight me off again. I put my arms around hers, pinning them to her sides. "We will. I'll figure out a way."

"No. It's stupid to even think about it… You need to run… you need to get the fuck away from me while you still can… Everyone I love… Eric, I'm a fucking jinx."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"You can't… stay…"

"If I can't stay here, I'm not leaving without you. Don't give up on me yet. I _**will**_ think of something."

She shook her head and repeated, "_We don't get to be happy_."

"You said the other night that all we had was hope. What happened to that optimism?"

"We used it all up. Pam got her Maker back. You got your memories back. I got my brother back. The end."

"I refuse to accept that."

"Why?"

"Because I wasn't hoping for my memories to return. I was hoping to keep you."

"Eric… it'll to break my heart if anything happens to you. Don't get yourself in trouble over me."

"No matter what, I'm not going to walk away from you."

She shook her head. "Don't. Stop making promises you can't keep."

"Sookie, if there's no other way, I'm going to turn you. You're mine. Nothing is going to get in the way of that."

"Turn me?"

"Nothing can come between a Maker and their child. Nothing. I won't lose you."

"You'd turn me?"

"Absolutely."

"You'd be stuck with me forever."

"Good."


	10. Chapter 10

**Death's Door**

**Chapter 10**

**Reprehensible**

The first thing that came to me was Jason yelling, "Get the fuck out, BITCH!" followed by what sounded like a bomb being dropped in the foyer.

Sookie shrieked and I felt a sharp pain in my chest and another in my cheek while the scuffle proceeded to push my patience.

After I'd died that morning while Sookie cried hopelessly into my shoulder, I was in no mood for any form of fuckery.

I cracked the bedroom door carefully, making sure the front door was closed before I sped down the stairs to find Arlene and Sookie engaged in a one-sided catfight. Jason was trying to yank Arlene away from Sookie, but the cunt had one hand in her hair and the other was scratching like a feral cat… in front of two children no less. Sookie's hands were clasped to her chest and her blood was everywhere, red cascades flowing between her fingers.

I couldn't think for a moment. The sight of Sookie's blood destroyed every rational fiber I had.

I almost missed the bloody buck knife on the floor.

When I saw Sookie's eyes start to flutter, it broke me.

I scooped her up to take her to her room, ordering Jason to get Arlene out of the house.

When I laid with Sookie on her bed, she whimpered, "She… I think she…"

I cut her off, pushing my bloody wrist to her mouth and using my free hand to pull her shirt up to watch the wound. Calling for help wouldn't have been an option. As quickly as Sookie was losing blood, if Arlene had come by half an hour earlier, an ambulance wouldn't have arrived in time to help Sookie…

Surge after surge of Sookie's blood, at least two pints seeped into the bedding before I noticed improvement worth mentioning…

I could've lost her.

I'd just opened my wrist again when Jason ran back and barged into the room without knocking and the phone in his hand. "What the fuck!?"

"Put the phone down."

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"I'm giving her my blood to heal her wounds. Put the phone down."

"That bitch just stabbed my sister! I'm callin' 9-1-1! Sookie needs…"

"By the time medics could arrive, she'd be dead. Sookie was bleeding too fast."

"Arlene needs to go to jail."

"We'll figure out what to do about Arlene later. Right now, we worry about Sookie."

"Your blood… Vampire blood can do that?"

"Yes."

"She ain't addicted to it, is she?"

"No."

"Cuz I met my share of addicts in jail."

"She's not addicted. She's only ever been healed. This isn't recreational."

"It… You know Hadley was though, right… she used drugs and stuff."

"Sookie doesn't. She barely drinks."

He nodded, but inched closer to watch as Sookie's defensive wounds healed quickly…

As my wound healed again, Sookie's major injuries still weren't closed completely. I didn't want to risk bringing her over prematurely. As much as I looked forward to doing it eventually, I didn't want her to lose her life before we could enjoy it if we had the choice.

I smoothed my thumb over Sookie's cheek, watching it knit back together while the deep scratches on her arms faded into pink welts. Sookie's heart was still pumping frantically… the room was heavy with her blood and adrenaline.

She panted, "Much… much better…"

"You're still in pain."

"Not as much..." She leaned over to kiss me appreciatively. "Better than bleeding to death… How did you… _It's too early_."

I glanced over to Sookie's alarm clock and I spent a moment thinking it was a joke. 2 o'clock wasn't possible in Louisiana. "Your pain must've roused me."

She began trembling, laying her head on my chest. "She… _just went nuts_."

I smoothed her hair, trying to quiet her. As her adrenaline rush from being attacked waned, I began feeling the pull as though sunrise hadn't taken me once already. "Sookie, I can't give you more. You need to eat, let _your_ blood replenish… I'll tend to you again when I rise… Be careful. I had to give you a lot. You'll be stronger, faster…"

"Rise? You're…" She paused to sigh, "Ok… I love you."

It was already a struggle to reply, "I love you too."

I rose again, looking to Sookie's alarm clock to be sure of the time since Sookie was curled into my side. 6:40 was a perfectly normal (not to mention drama-free) time to rise.

I slid my hand over her back to pull her closer, enjoying her warmth while I listened to her…

Her breathing was a relaxed purr. Her heart beat was already stronger than it had been when she had her fever.

It only took a moment for her to adjust her head to look up at me. "How weird is it that you rose during the day? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but I'm not the one who was stabbed in the chest. How are you feeling?"

"I'm a little sore. I had to get Jason to do all the lifting and whatnot. The wound was heeled up before I was out of the shower. It's just muscles now…"

"What happened?"

She shook her head as she found my hand with hers. "Jason answered the door while I was packing. Since he's an idiot he didn't think anything of letting her in, but in his defense, she brought her kids with her and he feels horrible. Rene woke up. He told Andy while Arlene was there that he's been having an affair with me since before they got married. And that you broke into my house and broke his neck for no reason."

"Tell me Bellefleur didn't believe that."

"Of course not. He's seen the evidence. Andy even told Arlene that I had bruises on my neck, but I didn't have any bruises when she got here so she figured Rene wasn't lying after all. She's been living at the hospital since it happened… No sleep and she's facing the same hell I went through when it was Jason on trial… She wasn't thinking straight."

"You're defending her?"

"No. If you hadn't gotten up, I'd have been dead in just a couple of minutes. Not defending her, just kind of understanding her desperation."

"Your brother wasn't pleased to see you taking my blood…"

"That would be why I'm hiding from him."

I snorted, "You're hiding?"

"Well, we went out this morning. I took him shopping for clothes since his are porn star tight. He'd stored up all kinds of questions he was embarrassed to ask last night…"

"This will be good. He wasn't too embarrassed to ask me if Smurfs are real. I told him they are, but they're invisible. They live in pipes and eat clogs."

She buried her face against my shoulder and laughed hard enough to irritate her wound. "I love him to death. He's genuinely a good guy, but he is such a damn goon. He's got no filter."

"He asked me about the graveyard scene in Dracula. He wanted to know if Bram Stoker was confused or if some Werewolves were Vampires too."

"Do I want to know what you told him?"

"That one was early on, so I told him the truth… What was he too embarrassed to ask when I was in earshot?"

"Well, you flipped out on him last night…"

"I did no such thing…"

"That's how he put it, and since he hasn't seen you in bloodlust, he doesn't know the difference. I told him that his Come-To-Jesus was as far from flipping out as you get. Anyway, you mentioned where your cock has been… so he was curious about us being a couple... _He had no problem_ accusing us of shacking up together, but asking questions like if you're good to me and if you take care of me embarrassed him." Dolt. Had that been his original tract of questions, he could've avoided being strong-armed into cooperating.

"And you told him that I'm happiest between your legs and you're the one that takes care of me, yes?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I told him that you'd kill anyone that hurt me and told him that I have to fight to take care of myself… Then after you healed me, he wanted to know if I was going to be a Vampire now that I've had your blood or if you have to bite me for it to happen… I told him neither, so then he asked how it _does_ happen… so I explained that's why you stopped, why you couldn't give me more."

"Those are more rational questions."

"Yeah, but they were nonstop. He followed me out to the yard and hovered while I laid out. He followed me from room to room while I did laundry and tidied up before we leave…"

"Being clingy is a relatively normal reaction to seeing someone you love get stabbed in the heart by a raving lunatic."

"I know, but like I said, I'm out of practice. I finally had enough and came in here to nap inside your bubble."

"Have you had any thoughts about what to do with your insane friend?"

She shrugged. "I guess a glamour…"

I sat up reflexively. "That bitch stabbed you in the heart! You lost so much blood that a thousand years old Vampire couldn't heal you in one fucking sitting! And you think a glamour is fitting!?"

She sighed, "No. I don't. I think I want to wait for her after work and beat the shit out of the bitch. The fact that she's got those kids is the only thing to keep me from tying her to the bumper and dragging her to Shreveport with us. Foster homes are hard to come by right now." That wasn't enough. Arlene Lanier was not going to put a knife in MY SOOKIE and walk away like nothing happened. For all that bitch knew, she killed Sookie. There hadn't been any calls or visits. I didn't smell anyone on Sookie. She hadn't left the property thinking anything of what she'd done. Fuck glamouring her.

"Are you ready to leave?"

"Yeah… I guess… Do you need help packing?"

"No. We have an errand to run before we go to the airport."

While the sun was still setting, I showered and checked in with Pam. The sunkissed T-shirt waiting for me was phenomenal, but it did nothing to improve my mood.

Jason remained watchfully mute while I moved around the house to pack the last of the items we were taking with us, namely my laptop. He seemed quite aware of my mood, if not the reason and even though he was hovering, he was doing it from a distance.

While Sookie harangued and snarled for details I wouldn't give her, Jason didn't make a single remark until we pulled into the parking lot at Merlotte's. "Shit… this ain't such a good idea…"

"That might mean more if it came from someone who hasn't asked about the existence of unicorns in the last 24 hours."

"Does it mean more when it's coming from someone that just spent 6 fuckin' months surrounded by guys locked up for bar fights?" Fair enough.

"I'm not planning to start a barfight."

He shoved open his door to get out when I did and mumbled, "Oh good, 'cuz ain't nobody ever had something go wrong when they walked into a bar with their hair up."

If I wasn't struggling to keep my fangs in check, I might have mustered a chuckle. Even a broken clock was right twice a day…

Sookie was all but part of my arm, anxiously clinging to me when we walked in with Jason just behind us.

Merlotte noticed immediately in spite of entertaining Arlene's children for her while she waited tables.

As a hush fell over the restaurant, Arlene turned with a tray full of food that fell when her arms went limp at the sight of us.

Sam, in all of his infinite wisdom, got the attention of Detective Bellefleur… who just so happened to have soup on his tie and something orange on the corner of his mouth. "Andy! Andy, earn your keep, he's not welcome here!"

While Sam charged in my direction, and Bellefleur approached humbly with his napkin tucked in his belt, I motioned to Arlene to have her join us. When she seemed frozen, I pulled her. I couldn't have cared less if anyone noticed by that point.

Bellefleur was clueless when he nodded. "Mr. VanLuik. How are you doin' tonight?"

"I've been better… _Sookie's been __**much**__ better_. She was attacked today."

"Attacked!? By who?"

I leaned over to his ear, whispering just loud enough that I knew Merlotte would be included. "I trust that you understand Vampire blood has healing properties?" When he nodded, I continued, "Arlene came to the house earlier. She stabbed Sookie in the heart while her children and Jason watched. The only reason Sookie is alive is because she was healed with my blood. Since I've healed her, there's no evidence other than the ruined mattress and clothing in Sookie's bedroom…"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, if there's no injury or anything, I can't really do anything without revealing…"

"Stop, I understand why you can't do anything within the confines of your position… and the only reason I'm not glamouring Arlene to go home and hang herself is because Sookie doesn't want it."

"Uh… well… that's… thanks, I guess…"

Sam narrowed his eyes and puffed out his chest. "Then what are you here for?" _Awwww_. I thought he'd never ask.

I raised my voice to make sure everyone in the dining room and the man wearing a hairnet in the kitchen pass could hear me. "I'm here because, as most of you know by now, when Sookie and I came in for her dinner the other night, Merlotte was indignant that Sookie is keeping company with a Vampire. Rene Lanier overheard Merlotte's envious gibberish and later that night, Sookie awoke with Lanier on her chest, strangling her. In case you haven't noticed that Jason Stackhouse has been released, he was released when it was discovered that even though he was incarcerated, the murdering of fangbangers continued. Rene Lanier was the killer from the very beginning and when he tried to murder Sookie, I broke his neck… Earlier today, Arlene brought her children to Sookie's house as witnesses as she attacked Sookie… I'm here because this seems like the most efficient venue to issue my warning…"

I stepped closer to Arlene and inched down to loom.

"…**Sookie. Is. Mine.** **NO ONE** hurts her. You won't ever approach her or tell another lie about her again. If you do, I'll find out and you **WILL NOT** be so lucky as to get another warning. **Do. You. Understand**?"

Her breath rattled as she nodded.

"It's not Sookie's fault you married a serial rapist, is it?"

She shook her head slowly and Merlotte came to wedge his shoulder between us, pushing against me as though it would help.

"You're going to need to make arrangements for your children if you pull another stunt like the one you pulled today. Tell me you understand why I'd warn you after you tried to kill her."

As soon as she nodded, the silence in the dining room was replaced with gasps and murmurs of disbelief.

Merlotte seemed to be using as much force as he could to try to move me, and was getting more pissed with the effort. He shouted, "Andy, would you do something!? Don't just stand there and let him threaten Arlene!"

Andy shrugged. "Sam, if I arrested everyone who made a threat in a bar, I'd be buried in paperwork because the whole damn town would have a record. He's got every right to warn her. Hell, he's got the right to challenge her to a duel since she owns property worth more than a hog." _Ahhh…_ some laws never go out of style.

I added, "Detective, she'd have to accept the challenge."

He wobbled his head to either side. "Well, yeah, but you know… I can arrest her right now for child abuse. She committed assault in front of her kids. Don't have to have evidence for that." _Oh my_… my apple had been successfully polished.

"I have to wonder, have I done something to warrant Merlotte's unwanted physical contact?" He'd ruined my shirt.

Bellefleur nodded, but said, "Not a damn thing and if he don't knock that shit off, I'ma take _**his**_ ass in!"

Merlotte finally backed away and blurted, "A Vampire just threatened to kill Arlene!"

Andy returned, "IF SHE TRIED TO KILL SOOKIE AGAIN!" More gasping and chatter spread through the dining room. Arlene had already lost the popular vote, but Merlotte was circling the drain right behind her. "And you know, while you're on your high horse about what he said to '_poor Arlene'_ I'm 'bout ready to beat your ass myself! Don't think I didn't hear 'bout the way you lost your nut when they were in here the other night. What the hell you got against him when all he's doing is looking out for her?"

"He's just looking out for his PROPERTY!"

"Ain't my business until she's got a gripe, Sam. If she calls him Daddy it don't make it incest. Shut the hell up."

I interrupted their little spat. "Detective, do you have any questions or concerns? We're actually on our way out of town."

"You're coming back though, right?"

"Of course. Now that Jason is home, we're seeing to Adele's ashes. We'll be back on Sunday."

"Well, good on y'all then. Naw, naw. I got no questions. If anything comes up, I'll stop by once you're settled. Thanks for letting me know what that one's been up to. If she tried something later, this coming up would just be hearsay." _No. Really?_

A woman (more like a hippopotamus with hair the same color as the glob on Bellefleur's lip) barked, "Sookie, what y'all decide to do with Adele?"

"We're spreading her ashes at the Library of Congress."

"Well, I'll be! Ain't that the most fitting… Do you know when you'll be doing it?"

"Tomorrow night. They're only open until 9…"

"Well then… I'll say my prayer for her 'round 8 then. Y'all be safe. Worshentin's crawlin' with them Al Kaydas now…" She tapped her temple and nodded towards Sookie. "You best pay attention so you don't get in a fix."

Sookie snickered, "Yes ma'am."

Even though Sookie had been on edge when we walked into Merlotte's, her mood was much lighter as we left… to the extent of grinning.

I was going to ask if she'd waited, but as soon as I started backing the Escalade out of the tiny parking spot, she offered, "Half the town thinks you're scary as hell, but that you can't be so bad if you're willing to stick up for me."

"That would make them… _2/3 right?_"

She narrowed her eyes. "Something like that."

"So what else were they thinking?"

"Most of them were picturing Arlene cat fighting with me on my porch… her poor kids were remembering what she did… Sam didn't believe any of it even though Arlene admitted coming after me… Arlene pictured being drained, pulled apart, and dumped in a shallow grave… and she peed in her pants a little. Andy hopes you stick around though. He was thinking that having a Vampire around isn't as bad as he'd heard… that even though you could've killed 2 people in 3 nights, you kept your temper and that's more than he can say for some people in town."

"You're the only reason I kept my temper."

"I know. Thank you."

"What about the Colossus of Bon Temps? Who was that?" Jason laid down in the back seat to hiss hysterically.

Sookie giggled, "That was Mrs. Fortenberry. She was a good friend of Gran's. She doesn't go out at night unless Hoyt takes her. Even then it's only for DGD meetings and such." _Maxine Fortenberry had come to the house to give Adele a ride to a meeting… I was told to stay out of sight so that everyone in Bon Temps didn't know about 'the Vampire in town' before the end of the meeting. Adele gave a kiss and an apology for leaving me alone… and I watched them leave and was waiting when Adele came home… She'd grabbed my hand to make sure I'd obeyed her and stayed in the warmth of the house… She'd gone to the extent of putting pies in the oven before she left so that I'd have to listen for the timer to take them out._ Another little piece… another reason why I liked being in Bon Temps.

"That was Maxine?"

Sookie tilted her head to the side, realizing that I'd remembered something else. "It was."

"Adele wasn't terribly fond of her. She called her shallow and bigoted." Among other things.

Sookie shrugged, excited that I'd remembered something else. "Maxine is honest about it though. Gran respected that about her."

"That she was honestly hateful?"

"That you knew where you stood with her. She doesn't mince words. She always liked Gran because Gran was the same way…"

"Except Adele was good-natured and unprejudiced."

"It takes all types… So what would you do if Arlene came after me again?"

"Kill her."

"Seriously, Eric… I don't…"

"I've deffered to your wishes when it came to both her and Rene already. Rene might not be able to come after you again, but she can. If she does, the best you can argue for is that I kill her quickly instead of letting her bleed to death like she thought she'd done to you."

"You don't know what she was thinking."

"Granted. Why don't you tell me what she was thinking?"

She slammed herself back into her seat and growled, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Why? Because I'm right? Because she came to you armed with a knife because she was willing to kill you… not because your 'boyfriend' rendered her husband useless from the neck down, but because her pride was damaged by the idea of you being intimate with 'her man'… She wasn't killing to defend someone she loves. She was killing to defend her pride. And when you walked in to Merlotte's she was sure that she was hallucinating because she thought she killed you. Tell me I'm wrong."

She grumbled, "Bite me." I won.

I chuckled, "Maybe later." As much as she bit her lip to hide it, she still grinned.

While we waited to board our flight, Jason paced aimlessly and Sookie took my laptop out of the bag and started watching the video again…

She paused it every few seconds as she transcribed what was said, recreating the video in text format… She was anxious about the flight and looking for something to fill the hour that we'd be waiting.

She leaned over and whispered, "The Queen used flowers and the other Uses used birthstones. Got any ideas on what we should use. We already had two."

"None, but the color-coding makes it easy to keep them straight."

"Except the version we met and got the journal from was wearing diamonds and sapphires, but they're the peridot pages…"

"Was she?"

She nodded and backed the video up to the point when the other Sookie grabbed my hand to write on it. "See? What did she write anyway?"

I studied the frame closely, and remembered when she took my hand… Not only did I recall her scribbling the note, but she hadn't written it in my handwriting after all. I'd rewritten it. "She cared for you when you had nothing. Remember her. Trust her. She'll love you forever."

Sookie snickered, "It's a damn good thing you've got big hands."

I nodded at the understatement and backed the video up a bit further because of something I noticed it the other frame and tapped the screen. "What is that?"

She didn't hesitate. "His ring? That's a joke. He had her house repainted and she was being a brat about being spoiled…"

"You? _Noooo_…"

She elbowed me and giggled as she continued. "He 'punished' her with that big ass sapphire ring. When he woke up the next night, he was wearing a wedding band. The inside says 'two can play at that game'. They aren't married or anything if that's what you're wondering."

"Did they say that they aren't married?"

She stared blankly for a moment. "No. Why would they say they…?"

"You asked about the ring he was wearing. Did you ask about hers?"

"I didn't…"

"She's wearing a band too." Channel set sapphires. It could be missed on the video, but I remembered noticing the extra ring when I remembered Sookie leaving the message on my hand.

"It's not even legal…"

I smiled at her, and couldn't wait to reunite with that version of Us again so that I could get details. "Not in the States."

She gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth. "What does that even mean? Not in the states?"

"It's legal in most of Europe."

"She didn't mention that they'd been though…"

"It seems that there's a lot that they didn't mention."


	11. Chapter 11

**Death's Door**

**Chapter 11**

**Temper, Temper**

Sookie was still just as stunned as I was as we boarded the plane…

I wasn't as sure about her reasons for being so shocked… for a sweet little southern girl, marriage would seem natural…

But me?

Marriage was nothing but paperwork to me… superfluous formalities. A blood bond was something that couldn't be undone by a judge. Bonds were more profound and, as closely bound as the other version of Us was, made the idea of 'I dos' laughable. Taking vows was nothing compared to sharing blood.

I might have understood if Sookie wanted a wedding as a step _towards_ bonding… but after the fact just seemed silly.

I just couldn't imagine a reason for me, _**any me**_, to be willing to marry… it wasn't as though it would increase her standing in Vampire circles since I wasn't the only one that considered the ceremony senseless.

There had to be something else.

Since Jason went to the restroom as soon as we were shown to our seats, Sookie leaned over to whisper, "You're being really quiet. What's wrong?"

"I'm trying to think of a reason for why they'd get married."

She shrugged. "Is loving each other not a good enough reason? I mean, I know you don't remember seeing them together yet, but they were an amazing couple… it was like they could anticipate everything about the other."

"I don't doubt that, but I've never had any respect for the concept of modern marriages. A blood bond is permanent. It can't be broken that I know of…"

"But a marriage is paperwork that can just be undone with more paperwork? Ok. I can see that." I was, at least somewhat, surprised that she wasn't offended that I didn't buy into a staple of her culture.

"Since you know the details of bonding, can you think of a reason they could benefit from marriage in Human circles?"

"You can't think of a reason that it could do any good when it comes to Vampires?"

I shook my head.

She was silent for a moment before she offered, "Kids are the only thing I can think of. Can you, like, _adopt?_ Maybe they got married so they could adopt Hunter." That was a tract I hadn't thought of.

"I suppose it's possible, but why would they adopt him? He has a living father and a Vampire mother."

She shrugged. "I don't know… maybe marrying Sookie was the only way to claim the tax deductions."

"I doubt _that_ had anything to do with tax shelters. I've never thought twice about charitable contributions as a write-off."

"Then that's the first thing I'm gonna ask the next time we see those sneaky assholes…"

"Are you angry that they're married?"

"No. I'm a little bitter that her journal included everything from marking shirts to avoiding cabbage, but circumvented the fact that she's married even though we freaking talked about those damn rings. I know I haven't had as much blood as she has, but do you think I've had enough of your blood that I could kick her ass?"

I chuckled, "No. Not yet."

As Jason came back to join us, she put her mouth against my cheek to breathe, "Lemme know when I do… _cuz she's gonna get it._"

Sookie pulled Sophocles from the pocket of my laptop bag and began reading while Jason fidgeted in his seat on the other side of his sister. He looked over his shoulder several times and seemed to get more and more anxious as time when on…

I'd just offered to glamour him to believe he was in a movie theater when my phone distracted us...

"Hello Pam. You have perfect timing. If you'd waited any longer a stewardess might have needed to admonish me for using my phone to render a commercial plane useless."

"When you debate the laws of physics with a haughty, glorified waitress, remember that they prefer to be called 'flight attendants'." Sookie snickered and called us 'horrible'.

"Thank you. What can I do for you tonight?"

"Well, did that 'kill something' feeling you had earlier have anything to do with the call I received from a very tetchy Shifter?"

"Possibly. What did I do?"

"You barged into his restaurant…"

"Walked into his ramshackle hut with an ABC license."

"Glamoured local law enforcement…"

"Reported a crime."

"Threatened to kill an innocent woman in front of her children and half of the town…"

"Threatened to kill the woman who stabbed Sookie in the chest, forcing a healing that couldn't be completed for fear she'd come over prematurely. And yes, it was in front of her children, but she set the precedent by bringing them with her to stab Sookie."

"Holy shit! How is she?"

"Still tender. Moving on."

"Right… You were physical with him…"

"He pressed his mangy hide against me in an effort to push me away from Sookie's assailant."

"Then you informed the parties present that you were fleeing local jurisdiction and taking an unwilling slave with you." Fuck. Merlotte could be criminally creative.

"He should write for Disney. How did you handle it?"

"I contacted the local law enforcement, of course. Andy Bellefleur has a boner for you. He basically repeated everything you just told me and called Jan VanLuik a 'model citizen' and said he's happy to have you."

"He's very simple. Keep in mind, he's the detective who spearheaded Jason's trial."

"I'm aware… Merlotte's taken care of."

"How did you do that?"

"I had detective Bellefleur meet the Packmaster and me at Merlotte's. Dawson let Merlotte know, under no uncertain terms, that he picked the wrong Vampire to lie about because Jan VanLuik hasn't ever hurt a fly that didn't deserve it…"

"Beautiful. Tell Tray that now _**I owe him**_ a blow job." Not only did Pam and Sookie begin laughing, but I heard Tray start a bellowing laugh. I had to wonder why Pam was still in his company. Once they calmed down, I asked, "You repaid Bubba's accounts for me, yes?"

"Done and Mayor Norris will most likely be calling to make arrangements to kiss your ass in person." Sookie was curious enough to close the book.

"Good. I haven't had my ass kissed in a while."

"I'm sure… Now, are you going to tell me why you're taking a vacation from your vacation?"

"It's not as though we're jet setting to luxurious destinations, Pam."

"Of course not. You're going to a Daemon infested region. 68 square miles of power whores and horrendous traffic. Are you eloping?" Even if I were eloping, I wouldn't do it in DC. Seriously?

"No."

"Are you sure… if you don't invite me…"

"I'm positive."

"Swear."

"I swear _in the name of Louboutin_…" Sookie began snickering while Jason asked why he'd never heard of 'that angel'.

"Swear on your Gutenberg Bible."

"I hate it when you do that. You know it holds no sacred religious significance to me and you use the cash and historic value of the book to get me to do something 'Christian'." Sookie covered her mouth and turned away from me to muzzle her laughter. While Sookie was facing her brother he asked if I was a 'Jew'. Obviously. Because that was the only other option. Goon.

"Swear on it."

"Fine, but from now on, I'm only willing to swear on my First Folio. Understand?"

"Now swear that when you get married, I'm invited." I was curious, but not curious enough to ask where the line of questioning came from. I decided that she'd gotten the same hints I had and left it alone.

"I swear on my _**First Folio**_ that you'd be invited if I were to get married."

"Good."

"Other than missing the chance to annoy me, is everything else running smoothly?"

"I've come to the conclusion that you're a whiner. This job isn't nearly as hard as you made it out to be." Nevermind that she was policing a fraction of the ill-tempered assholes I was and that the ones she had left were passive enough to hide from Witches for 3 months.

"I'm hanging up now." I turned my phone off and put it in my laptop bag.

Sookie raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Stop looking at me like I'm a piece of meat. I'm starting to feel insecure."

She threw her head back and cackled. "You ass! You're anything but insecure. You have explaining to do and you're stalling."

"So?"

"Eric."

"Sookie."

"You're being a jerk."

"I am not. I'm waiting for you to tell me what you want me to explain."

"Why is Mayor Norris going to…"

I cut her off when Jason jerked to look over his shoulder again. "Jason? Are you alright? I was serious when I offered to glamour…"

He shook his head and scowled at Sookie. "Is that you?"

She gave me a confused look before she turned back to him. "Is what me?"

He whispered, "In my damn head."

"No. I'm not… I'm focusing on Eric why?"

"Cuz someone's in my fucking head. Cain't tell who though."

"Jason. I swear. I'm not…"

"I know. I thought it was you at first. I only asked to make sure. I can feel it."

"Are you sure you're not just freaking out because you've never flown?"

He cringed and thought about it for a moment. "Yeah. _I'm pretty sure._ I know what it feels like. _You been doin' it since you're a baby_. Stop focusing on Eric for a minute. See if you can find it."

She huffed and turned back to me, holding her hand out. "Can I borrow your mind for a minute?"

"I was wrong. I preferred being a piece of meat."

She giggled and took my hand, closing her eyes to concentrate.

I felt a range of emotions as she rifled through the thoughts of the other passengers. Mumbling to let me know that she'd found two other Vampires, a Were and 8 minds that were 'nothing but static'. Given that the bulk of the Supernaturals in DC were Daemons, that wasn't surprising…

Sookie finally nodded and said, "Goddamn… You're right, Jason. There's a telepath in the back of the plane."

"Great. Why the fuck she in my head?"

"Why do you think it's a woman?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. Why is she in _**my**_ head?"

She shrugged and sat back, telling him to, "Ask her."

He scowled at her, remaining quiet until a Hispanic woman was squatting next to his legs.

"Pilar Trejo. Federal Air Marshal."

Jason griped, "Jason Stackhouse. Do I look like some kind of terrorist?"

The smile she gave him was as though she was humoring a small child. "I apologize, Mr. Stackhouse. You're in the presence of two Vampires and quite nervous. I was making sure that you weren't being threatened. How is it that you could tell I was listening to you?"

"Because my sister is a telepath. Having my brain invaded is an old hat. And I'm only with one Vampire."

She looked over to Sookie and me and shook her head. "I'm counting two, sir. Have you been glamoured?"

Sookie giggled. "He's fine. I'm not a Vampire. I'm the telepathic sister he mentioned. Sookie Stackhouse."

Pilar shook Sookie's hand, staring intently. "You… you feel like a Vampire."

"I know. I'm concentrating on his thoughts."

"You… you're Human?"

Sookie nodded. "Yeah."

Pilar was silent for another moment. "I'm not hearing a single thing from you. Dead calm…" She looked at me and cringed. "Sorry for the pun, but that's what I've called it since I met my first Vampire."

I nodded. "It's fitting from what I understand. Is Sookie the first telepath you've met?"

She shook her head. "My mother and aunt were. My sister isn't without a gift though… Miss Stackhouse is the first one I've met that I'm not related to."

Jason grunted. "How the fuck did I end up with jackshit then?"

Pilar rolled her eyes at him. "Maybe you're the milkman's…"

"I am not!"

Sookie leaned closer to Pilar, ignoring her brother's indignation to whisper, "Do Vampires, like, drool over how you smell?"

Pilar nodded. "Yeah. How did you know that?"

"We should 'talk' after takeoff as long as it won't get in the way of work."

Pilar nodded again… stunned would be the fitting word for the expression on her face.

Sookie was more than eager to compare notes with another telepath and I couldn't blame her. Thanks to the journal, she knew that she wasn't the only one, but it was her first opportunity to actually speak to one… well, one that wasn't her.

As Pilar returned to the back of the plane, I leaned over to whisper in Sookie's ear, "That ruins my plans for inducting you to the Mile High Club."

Without missing a beat, she rubbed her cheek against mine, nibbled my ear, breathed, "I'm still waiting to hear about why Mayor Norris is Pro-Eric."

"I can't be sure why…"

She nibbled again. "He's an old man with horrible eyesight… Even if you'd met him in person, he wouldn't be able to appreciate how sexy you are."

I chuckled, "The chewing was more encouraging than the flattery…"

Wrong choice of words.

Sookie whispered, "Then start talking," as she chewed the side of my neck…

Raking her teeth…

Rolling her tongue…

Delicious little breaths…

Whispering the cruel threat to stop when I couldn't explain right away…

"You're wicked, Sookie. This isn't fair."

"You're stalling."

I don't know why, but when she started to back away, I pushed her face back to my neck… and started talking even though it would've been smarter to let her stop…

"Maybe he's a fan of Jan's because he just contributed the money needed to build the new library the Mayor wants to build."

Sookie giggled against my neck, making me grab the armrest so that I wouldn't yank her onto my lap. "Why would you do that?"

I grunted, "Because I could."

She giggled again, "Because you're a closet sweetheart."

Before I had the chance to deny being a 'sweetheart', her fucking brother griped, "Get a goddamn room, wouldya?"

Sookie sat back and punched his thigh. "We plan on it and so help me, if you call or knock, I'll whoop your ass."

Her face was flushed and her scent was too tempting…

She resorted to taking deep breaths to help her calm down, but before they started working, she punched Jason's leg again…

I'd barely managed to begin calming down when she leaned over to whisper again, "I can say, in all honesty, I've never been this spun up before…"

"Sookie, now is not the time to tease me."

"I'm not trying to tease you… I'm trying to ask if it's because of having so much of your blood."

I leaned away, but she followed. "Probably…" I didn't realize I could whimper until that one word came out of my mouth.

"It was hard for me to behave before, but this is crazy… All I want to do is climb on top of you and…" My fucking mind filled in that blank with 1001 options before I could say anything.

"Sookie. Stop."

She was frowning when she sat back. "Sorry."

The last thing I wanted to do was make her feel like I was rejecting her.

I took her hand, leading her past her brother to the restroom, ignoring the stewardess who told us 'one per bathroom' and latched the door behind us.

Sookie shook her head as she tried to apologize again, but I interrupted her by putting her on the sink…

Wedging myself between her knees…

Pulling us together…

Kissing her until she ran out of air…

Chewing and rubbing against her…

She clawed my sides, wrapping her legs around mine…

The pounding on the door barely managed to bring me back to our reality…

I growled, "I can barely keep my hands off of your body as it is. I need you to behave, at least until we get to the hotel."

She squeezed her thighs around me and whimpered, "How long is the flight?"

"That's not helping. 3 ½ hours. You can wait." She'd waited 25 years already… she could do it… She had to. Feeling my own urges made behaving nearly impossible. Feeling hers on top of that… I'd fail.

"Is this just because Jason's with us? I'll push him off the plane if it is." That was just funny.

I chuckled, "This is just because of how much of my blood you had earlier. Think about it. You were just as chaste as ever last night. Nothing has happened since then to…"

"I wanted to last night." Did. Not. Need. To. Hear. That.

"But you thought better of it for a reason…"

She whined, "I did not. I freaked out about everything stacked against us. _I really wanted to_…" She tightened her legs around me again.

I growled, "Sookie…"

"You want to too."

"That's not a secret. If you're still interested, we'll 'scratch that itch' when we get to the hotel." Quoting her, the way she'd cheapened it, hoping like hell as a last ditch effort that she'd be offended, even if it lasted long enough that I had to apologize…

She cooed, "Straight to the hotel from the airport, right?" _Oh, fuck me…_

"Yes."

"No pit stops. I don't care how hungry Jason is. He can get room service." She was trying to kill me. I was sure of it.

"He could starve for all I care."

"No business. No unpacking."

The more she said, the closer I got…

Fuck.

Feed.

I hadn't ever been hungrier.

I hadn't ever wanted anything more than what was going to happen in that hotel room…

Ignoring another round of pounding on the door, I growled, "None."

I swayed, going right back to nuzzling her neck, taking in her scent… so sweet, so rich with want…

She purred, "No calls. No teasing."

I made the mistake of kissing the dent behind her ear… I wanted to lick every goosebump it gave her. "Maybe _some_ teasing."

She sighed, "Just us."

I agreed, "Just us."

I couldn't be sure, but it might've been the longest 5 hours of my life.

That's right. _**Five**_ hours.

The plane was delayed in Shreveport because a mob of deer wandered onto the runway. I might've been a little out of line when I suggested to the stewardess that the airport issue hunting permits so the antlered fuckers wouldn't interfere with anyone's plans… well, then I asked to be let off the plane so I could take care of the problem myself.

The only perk was Sookie's opportunity to distract herself by 'talking' to Pilar. She spent an hour concentrating on the other telepath and the rest of the flight asleep… my urgency to get to our hotel was completely my own.

We had to divert to Akron because some asshole on our flight picked the wrong time to have fucking chest pains. I spent that time hoping the prick died because he could've just been stashed in a cubby until we were in DC, but with my luck he'd wait to blow his valves until we'd taken off again.

And when the pilot apologized that he was being delayed by Dulles because of the traffic and our other delays, I went to the cockpit and explained that he didn't want to see what happened at dawn to Vampires close up. I was still on my way back to my seat when he announced that there wouldn't be any further delays.

Never. Flying. Commercial. Again.

With Jason glamoured to think it was 'lights out', just for fun, and Sookie sleeping peacefully, I had nothing else to do but read. The temptation was there to read the journal and watch the video, but I behaved well enough to focus on rereading Sophocles.

We landed at 2:30… waited for our baggage until 3:10… thanks to the prick taxi driver we didn't get to the hotel until 4:10… and for the 20 minutes it took for the clerk to check us in, I wondered what the fucking point was to making reservations ahead of time when I had to give every bit of information again. All the while, Sookie's rushed feeling needled my consciousness. Every Human in our path was lucky to still have their head.

I nearly pushed Jason and the bellboy off the elevator on the 4th floor and as soon as the doors closed and we were finally alone…

The last 5 floors were hell and when the doors opened, Sookie practically ran down the hall in search of our room while I had to turn back for the luggage I'd forgotten.

Several attempts to get the key card to work later, Sookie yelled, "Finally!" and grabbed the front of my shirt to tow me inside in her rush…

With the door swinging closed behind us, Sookie grabbed my belt, yanking to open my pants…

Sliding her hand in…

Taking hold…

Stretching up for a kiss…

More aggressive than I could've hoped…

Fuck.

"Sookie…"

She shook her head and grunted against my neck, "No."

"Slow down."

She scraped her teeth along my collarbone and repeated, "No."

"Sookie…"

She tightened her hand around my cock and whimpered, "You promised. Just us."

My eyes rolled back as she pumped. "We're getting carried away."

She panted, "Isn't that the point?" Yes…

As much as I hated to do it, I pulled her hand away from me and the last squeeze she gave made me regret it.

I lounged on the bed, trying to seem calm while I waited for her to join me…

She whimpered from the spot I left her, "What? Do you… do you like, like have a thing for submissives or…"

"No. That couldn't be further from what I have 'a thing' for. I'm trying to calm down."

"Have you chilled out yet?"

"No. You haven't either."

"Why should I?"

"Because…"

"Hold on. Why should I? Seriously. It seems a little redundant to meditate before getting spun up agian." Fuck… that was too logical given my mood and she could tell.

"I want you to, at least, start out levelheaded."

She pitched her eyebrow and started creeping towards me. "How levelheaded do I need to be?"

"Levelheaded enough that you don't threaten to punch anymore bellboys for recommending local sightseeing."

She looked over one shoulder, then the other… putting her knees on the bed and crawling towards me. "I don't see any bellboys, Eric." Fuck.

She leaned over, pushing my shirt up and nibbling my side. I actually tried counting to ten, but ended up picturing 10 different positions I wanted to enjoy… well, 42.

"Sookie…"

She straddled me, leaning over to nibble my bottom lip. I saw it coming. I knew she was going to do it, but I couldn't make myself stop her…

"Sookie… you're the one who's been behaving. All of a sudden…" I forgot what I was saying for a moment when she reached into my pants again. "All of a sudden, you're practically raping me on a plane… it's not like you. This is because of my blood."

"I think I remember hearing something about Vampire blood not changing who a person is, just intensifying certain characteristics." Shit.

"Sookie, you're being very insistent for a virgin."

"You're being very inhibited for a Vampire."

"Are you trying to provoke me?"

The smirk on her lips answered for her. It was working…

I flipped us over, pinning her hands to the bed. "I don't want you to regret anything."

"I won't…"

"You say that now, but when was the last time you begged for sex?"

"When was the last time I was with someone I wanted to have sex with? Never. See. You aren't winning."

"I'm not trying to win. I just don't want you to blame my blood later."

"Fine. Whatever. Let me go."

I let her go, sitting back on the bed between her ankles. "I don't want you be angry…"

By the time I'd said that much, she'd rolled from the bed to run to the bathroom and lock herself in.

Everything was going _marvelously_.

I listened while she showered, heavy-handedly abusing everything she touched and throwing her clothes and shoes at the door.

Her mood only worsened while she sulked… feeling angry and hurt and mumbling nasty little insults under her breath.

She emerged wrapped in a towel and violently avoided eye contact on her way to her suitcase, rummaging for a nightshirt, slipping it on and throwing the towel at me when she yanked a pair of pillows from the bed.

She stomped to the other side of the room to toss herself on the sofa… and I tried to stay where I was… I really did, but I didn't want her to fume until I could rise.

I sat on the sofa behind her knees only to have her grumble, "You're being a girl. Go away."

"A girl?"

"You wanted me to get the fuck away from you. I'm away. You won… now leave me alone."

"Please, tell me you're fucking with me. I didn't want you to go away."

"Just go to bed."

"Not until I don't have a choice. I don't want to leave you raging through the hotel if I can help it. This isn't what I wanted."

"Sounds like we're even. Goodnight."

"We're far from even. You're being a brat because I wanted to calm down enough to avoid hurting you."

"And you're whining because I backed off. Like I said, you're being a girl."

"You haven't backed off. You're throwing a tantrum."

I took it upon myself to translate her silence as 'fuck you'.

"Do you want to stay angry all day? Snarl at me while we scatter Adele's ashes?"

"What do you care? We're on ice… now leave me alone."

"Sookie…"

"Leave me alone, or I'll go stay in Jason's room."

"No…"

As soon as I said it, Sookie put her foot against my side and shoved me off of the sofa to put me on my ass.

Oh really?

I lifted the front of the sofa, tipping it backwards and listening to Sookie tumble on the other side.

It only took a moment for her to recover… righting the furniture I'd turned over and hitting my back with it in the process…

Snapping, "Feel better, you big baby?" as she tried to pass me to lie back down.

I snatched her hand, yanking her down to eye level. "No. Do you?"

"Not a bit. Let me go."

"Stop being like this…"

"I would, but some asshole is keeping me from going to sleep. Be a doll and call the front desk, will ya?"

"I'm not amused, Sookie. All I wanted to do was calm down."

She yanked her arm out of my grip and tossed herself on the sofa again. "Then go work on that."

"Come to bed with me."

"No."

"Why not? Explain why you're…"

"Goodnight."

"Tell me why you're acting like this."

"I'm allowed to be annoyed that you're running hot and cold on me. Let me sleep, Eric."

"I'm not running hot and cold…" I stood and went to the bed. "It's probably better that you rest. You're less of a bitch in your sleep."

As expected, by the time I'd taken my clothes off and slid between the sheets, she was standing at the foot of the bed with her arms crossed.

"That was shitty."

"Now you want to talk? If I'd known that, I'd have called you a bitch sooner."

"I'm sick of this stupid fucking game you're playing. I'm done."

"What fucking game?"

"Saying shit like your favorite place is between my legs and then speeding out of the room like your hair's on fire… giving me your blood and refusing to take mine… claiming that you'd turn me before you left Bon Temps and then acting like it's a ridiculous notion to marry me… promising me that we'll all but ruin the room and then hitting the damn brakes as soon as we get here. You've been stringing me along and I don't think it's funny."

"Stringing you along! That's fucking rich! You've been teasing and flirting since we pulled into your driveway Sunday night."

"I. Have. Not!"

"You have! And now you're condemning me for not taking advantage of you… for controlling myself!"

"What you call 'controlling yourself' is driving me up the fucking wall! You've been flirting and touching me every chance you can, but as soon as we're alone in a room with a bed, you act like you're scared to have sex… If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you're the virgin."

"In my experience, most girls are more timid about losing their virginity, Sookie. Thanks to having so much of my blood, you weren't thinking about that…"

She screeched, slapping her hands over her mouth. "You don't remember!" She was on the verge of tears.

I shook my head, actually wishing dawn was closer so the arguing would stop. "What have I forgotten now?"

She whined, "Eric… the other night… when you healed my neck… we fooled around."

"What do you mean 'fooled around'?"

She put her knees on the bed and crawled over until her legs were against my side. She wasn't the slightest bit angry all of a sudden. She folded herself in half to rest her forehead on my shoulder. "I'm _soooooo_ sorry… I… I thought you were just fishing, trying to get me to talk dirty or something. I didn't realize you really didn't remember." What the fuck?

"I'm lost? When was this?"

"Last night when you rose… I was trying to tell you about Jason being home… you wanted to have sex while I explained, but I knew I wouldn't have kept talking…"

"Right. You said you doubted you'd stay coherent… What did… _what the fuck did I do?_"

"When I took your blood, **WE** got… well, _handsy_."

"Define handsy."

"We… you know… we groped and made out…"

"I molested you." Fuckfuckfuck…

"_**NO!**_ I was willing."

"What did I do to you?"

"I can look it up, but I think the technical term is 'finger bang'…" FUCK!

"Tell me you're joking. This is your twisted, wicked sense of humor. The room didn't smell like sex… There wasn't any of your blood on the bed…"

"When you died, I ran downstairs to take a quick shower because your blood and… well, I was sticky… I guess the room aired out a little."

"Your blood?"

"I barely bled… I'd just had a couple mouthfuls of your blood though…"

"So it healed you… _**Fuck!**_"

"What?"

"I could've hurt you… When I first rose last night and heard Tray leaving the message that he hadn't heard from you, I turned my room inside out trying to figure out what I'd done to you. I couldn't remember what happened after you took my blood…"

"You didn't hurt me. At all. I was surprised…" She buried her face in her hands. "I'm such a bitch! I'm sorry! I thought you were… I thought… I thought you were annoyed that I wanted to… the way you and Pam have talked about fangbangers groveling…" Fuck. No wonder.

"No. When I offered you anything and you opted for cuddling, I assumed I'd be testing my willpower for a while… Since I don't remember what happened, I assumed you were impulsively skipping a few steps because of my blood, if not ignoring them altogether."

She whimpered, "I called you an asshole…"

"I'm more offended that you called me a girl."

"And kicked you…"

"And threw a towel at my head."

"And you were just being… _thoughtful_… I'm such a bitch!"

I had to struggle to take her hands away from her face, pulling her down to lie on the bed was another effort entirely. "To clarify… my favorite place _**is**_ between your legs, but I left the room because I needed to think about what to do about Arlene since you wouldn't let me bleed her for hurting you... I've been resisting taking your blood because it was difficult enough for me to focus after marking you. It only took a couple of drops for me to realize everything we've read about your taste is an epic understatement… I _**will**_ bring you over if I can't find another way to safely keep you. The idea of marrying you isn't ridiculous, just surprising given that I've never put any stock in the practice. You pretended to see my perspective earlier too. Don't do that. If you want a clearer reason, then tell me instead of assuming…"

"I understood at the time but then… I don't know what I was thinking… I was overreacting and I twisted everything… And you didn't hit the brakes as soon as we got to the room, you just didn't realize there wasn't a speed bump!" She groaned into the mattress.

"And after everything… I'm only pissed that I don't remember it." I was just happy to solve the problem… confused about why I wasn't resentful, but relieved nonetheless. It might have had something to do with the fact that Sookie was completely mortified. It wasn't that I was enjoying it, but it was reassuring to feel that she regretted our argument.

She moped, "I _barely_ remember it… it's hazy. Why do you think it happened like that though? Do you remember healing me today? _I remember it._"

"I'm going to assume that your life took precedence over your pussy… I was too worried to think about anything else."

"Have I said I'm sorry? Because I am… I'm so sorry."

"It was a misunderstanding. We were both missing a valuable piece of information."

"I'm still sorry."

"That's annoying… If you're going to mewl, do it while we get back on track."

She snickered into her hands. "Right back to thinking about sex, huh?"

"I never stopped. You didn't put panties on when you left the shower."

"I thought about it, but I would've tripped trying to get them on."

I rolled to my side and pulled her closer. "Were you afraid you'd laugh or afraid you'd hurt yourself?"

"Afraid you'd keep me from falling so I'd have to chill my ass out." At least she admitted to that.

I ran my hand along the back of her leg, earning a whimper, "I own it. Are you willing to admit all you think about is sex?"

"Not sex. You're what I think about… Sex is just a subcategory. Now that I've won our argument, what do you want to do until dawn?"

She rolled to face me as she snickered, "_Nice segue_… and you didn't win the argument…"

"I think I did. I remained calm without letting emotions blind me to solving the problem while you flew off the handle…"

She cut me off by growling and hiding her head under my chin. "Are you going to keep score?"

I pulled her leg up, resting her knee on my hip… "No. I'm going to hope I have time to teach you to keep your temper before I bring you over."

She whispered against my neck to ask, "Are you desensitizing me to the idea?"

I reached between us, finding her clit… I barely touched her before she was trembling, breathing ragged breaths against me. "Do you feel desensitized?"

Her hips twitched and she whimpered, "No."

I chuckled, "I think the more fitting word is 'tempering'… I'm getting you used to the idea that I'll do anything to keep you safe."

Instead of answering, she began kissing, nibbling my neck, spurring me like she had on the plane.

"Is it working?"

She moved her hips with my hand and breathed, "I'm not admitting to anything."

I rubbed harder, making her groan and dig her nails into my arm. I asked, "Will you at least tell me who you belong to?"

She grunted, riding my fingers as soon as I slid them into her, trying to catch her breath to answer, but giving up… "You... Your turn."

"My turn for what?"

She panted, so close to cumming her face was pained. "Who do you belong to?" Sookie. Signed, sealed and notarized… she owned me.

I teased, "You don't already know?"

"You already knew the…" She grabbed my wrist thinking it would slow me down. "You already… knew… you just want… wanted to hear it."

I leaned over, pushing her to her back, starting at her neck… her shoulder… all the way down to the most delicious nipple to ever touch my lips… forgetting the question until she gasped to ask again. "You know I belong to Tina."

She squeaked out a giggle and kicked the back of my leg. "Who has dibs after Tina's done with you then?"

She arched her back as she started to cum, nicking her nipple and the taste left me too dazed to keep teasing… I growled, "You," as I watched her body contort… letting myself get drunk on the scent filling the room…

'Starting slow' nearly killed me…

The more patient I tried to be, the more she pushed…

My blood…

She was insistent, yet innocent…. Craving, yet clueless…

No…

_Slow_ only lasted until I rolled over, putting her on top.

Pulling her night shirt off…

Biting through my lip as she pushed down, taking me in…

Her cum and sweat gluing our thighs together…

Still throbbing…

Twitching…

Letting me move her hips as she leaned over, licking the trickle of my blood from my lip…

Moaning…

Whining…

Crying…

Before I ever took over…

Nonstop.

No breaks.

Not for the room phone…

Not for my cell or hers…

Not for the knocking on the door…

Not for her to calm down.

What would the point be? Calming down just to get spun up again?

None…

It still wasn't enough…

Stopping, pulling away from her to tell her sunrise was going to end our fun was miserable.

She punched the bed and sniffled, cursing the sun and asking when Alaska was dark 24/7…

I was almost gone, heavy from being pulled when Sookie shouted, "NO!" and flipped over to face me.

I was groggy enough that her movement seemed instant. "No what?"

She blurted, "We can cheat! If we exchange… It's in the journal… the video. Hours. Remember?" How could I forget that?

"We'd be bonded."

"You're going to turn me anyway… Bite me before you die." She was already pulling her hair away from her neck to offer it. There was no time to argue. No escape from the temptation…

She only gave me a moment to enjoy the flavor, the way her blood filled me before she bit my shoulder…

The insanity of feeling everything rushing back to me while losing control of myself was terrifying…


	12. Chapter 12

**Death's Door**

**Chapter 12**

**Y'all Take Care**

It was a spectacular feeling to rise that night…

Slowly getting my body and surroundings back to me…

Feeling her breaths fall over my arm… her heart beating against my chest…

Sookie's taste was still on my lips and even though she'd spooned back to me to put her freshly washed hair at my nose, the scents of the night before were clinging to me.

If only I could remember all of it… but the mental slideshow of what I had managed to keep was more than enough.

When I tightened my arm over her side, she arched her back, rubbing herself against me as she stirred… saying I was encouraged was an understatement, but Sookie stopped.

She tensed suddenly to become perfectly still, feeling fear and confusion.

She moved slowly enough to seem like she was trying to inch away from a rattlesnake, putting her hand over my wrist to take it away from her and lay my arm along my side, leaning her shoulder against me as my hint to leave the bed.

As I moved to exit the bed, lifting my head was all I needed to solve why Sookie was so confused.

We weren't in our hotel room…

I couldn't decide if it was impossible that we were back in my room at Sookie's house or if it made perfect sense…

Subtle differences… the bedding was printed with stars, there was a toy box in the corner and a purple backpack sitting on the floor in front of the dresser…

Being blown away by the strangeness was delayed by the way Sookie carefully pushed herself off of the bed like I had, as though she was repelled by what was on the other side of it…

Black lace distracted me for a moment, or maybe it was the way her ass brushed my legs… who cared? It wasn't an unpleasant distraction.

When I finally pried my eyes away from memorizing the paisley pattern of Sookie's underthings, I glanced at the bed looking for the reason why Sookie had backed up to press herself against me.

Honestly, I knew what to do with the tiny panties and bra… at least, more than I knew what to do with the child in the bed.

A child.

Long, wavy blond hair.

So tiny it was no wonder how I didn't see her at first.

Restful little purrs so slight I missed them until Sookie was holding her breath.

Sookie turned her head and breathed, "Hey Eric?"

"Yes?"

"When we get back and I say, maybe we should look over the journals, what do you say?" Even in the situation we were in, I was tempted to laugh at the way she chose to tell me, 'I told you so'.

"Don't blame me. I wanted to read them. _All you can think about is sex_."

Seriousness aside, she was still amused. Instead of making a noise by slapping me, she reached back and pinched my thigh. "_What. Do. We. Do?_"

"Let her sleep. I'm sure you can find somewhere else to abuse me."

She turned around to scowl at me, whispering bitingly, "This isn't funny. She's going to wake up with Victoria's Secret and the Loch Ness Monster in her damn room. She's going to be scared."

I was given a dirty look for smirking, but it was the best I could do. _Loch Ness?_ She was lucky I wasn't laughing. "Nonsense. You look spectacular."

I'd finally pushed her capacity for humor enough that she balled up her fist punched my ribs. The loud thud probably would have been enough to wake the child by itself, but I grunted… It wasn't the hardest I'd ever been hit, but I wasn't expecting Sookie to be so strong so soon.

The child stirred, rolling to her back and rubbing her eyes while Sookie frantically snatched a sheet to wrap it around my waist. _Subtle._

The child gasped, jerking to sit up, gaping at us… then standing on the bed and running to hurl herself against my chest, yelling, "Daddy!"

Excuse me?

Catching her was nothing but reflex… Everything else was as bizarre as I could have thought possible…

Sookie was grappling to keep the sheet around me while keeping from exposing herself (hiding behind me)… the child was so small I couldn't begin to guess her age, hugging my neck so tightly I could have let her go and she wouldn't have fallen… Daddy?...

_**DADDY?**_

I'm sure I looked as brilliant as Jason while I did my damnedest to do or say anything rational… I might have cared if Sookie seemed less lost.

"Daddy?" Even if the child smelled like me, it was the best I could fucking do.

"Missed you."

"Missed who?" I was hoping that if she thought it was a game, Sookie and I could get some answers.

"YOU!"

"Ok. And who are you?"

"I'm…" She stopped to give me a very serious look before putting her tiny hand over my mouth. She demanded, "Do it."

I mumbled, "Do what?"

When her lip curled so she could growl, she looked exactly like Sookie. "Yer not Daddy." No kidding.

"Then who am I?"

"Daddy's fren, Skip." Skip? Cute.

"And who are you?"

She huffed, "I'm Erin the Great. Pu'me down."

As I set her back on the bed, I asked, "And your Daddy, he looks like me?"

She nodded and pointed to Sookie. "An' she's like Mommy… _where your cloves?_"

"We forgot them. Do you know where we can find some?"

She nodded and pointed to the closet behind us. "In'air… You're not Daddy an' Mommy. Why you snuglin'?" Good question.

Sookie opened the closet door, instantly feeling relieved by what was inside. She sighed, "There's an outfit preset for both of us… Erin, does Skip visit a lot?"

The miniature of Sookie nodded. "Yeah, but not here… mostly home."

"You don't live here?"

"No… we live w'Daddy now."

I asked, "And why did you say you missed your Daddy?"

"Cuzz him didn't bisit lass nite… Why you lookin' for'em here?"

Sookie stopped pulling on her clothes for a moment and whispered, "I'm counting 2 Weres in the yard… they aren't close enough for a read though."

"Then why are you sleeping here?"

"Bis'tin Gran…" If I hadn't already been still, I would have stopped just as suddenly as Sookie. "She dot sick." But she was still alive?

"How sick?"

"She got 'monia. She was ina hospital couple days. Mommy's nursin' her cuz Hadley's a selfiss bish."

Sookie countered, "But Gran's better now, right?"

Erin nodded. "Gettin'nair. She's nappin'."

"And Mommy?"

"Dozed off."

Sookie came out from behind me and took the sheet to hold it up as a dressing screen. While I pulled on my jeans, Sookie asked, "How do you know Mommy's napping, Erin? You were asleep."

The little girl chirped, "She dreamin'."

"You're a telepath too?"

She nodded. "Hunter too. Him stayed wiff Daddy 'cuz hims notturnal. I'm not yet."

"Hunter lives… if your Mommy is… how…?"

I interrupted Sookie's confusion. "We should probably ask Sookie about particulars, _Skippy_."

She narrowed her eyes at me and huffed, tossing the sheet over my head once my shirt was on. "Why don't you go downstairs and get her then, _**Skip**_."

My Sookie stayed upstairs with Erin while I ventured down to find 'Mommy'.

I found our hostess curled up in Adele's chair by the fireplace with a book laid over her legs…

It was too much of a temptation to keep walking so that I could finally meet Adele.

I sat on the coffee table in front of her, looking her over for a moment. My first skip that I could remember… My first alternate Sookie…

We would have known who Erin was if this was the same version who helped us. So I couldn't help but wonder where the little girl came from. She certainly wouldn't have been calling someone she'd only known for less than a week 'Mommy and Daddy' so they hadn't taken her in… and why would Hadley be expected to help care for Adele if she was a Vampire in New Orleans?

"Sookie."

She hummed, but didn't budge.

"Sookie, I need you to wake up. We need to talk."

She opened her eyes slowly, arching her back and dragging her arms up to stretch while smiling at me. "Hey…" She looked up at the clock on the mantle. "How'd you get here so fast?"

"I rose here… with My Sookie… she's still upstairs with Erin."

She yawned and shook her head. "Sorry. My schedule is off… Which version are you?" No shock. None. She was seasoned to the nonsense.

"We only experienced our first skip last week, so I'm not sure you'd know about us… wait. There _was_ a brief encounter Sookie had with another version of herself." I'd almost forgotten about that since My Sookie had only mentioned it in passing.

"When was that? What happened? What was the other skip?"

"Mid-January. Sookie was at Merlotte's when the other came to her looking for Eric. I'm unclear about the details, but she told me Sookie advised her to not confront the Witches responsible for my amnesia alone…"

She gasped. I was already prepared to explain, when she lurched forward to grab my face. "You're the one!"

"The one? Was it you who met My Sookie?"

She let go of me to tuck her hair behind her ear, exposing that she had an earring through the cartilage at the top. A tiny orange gemstone. "We'll have to ask to make sure paths haven't diverged again, but I think so. We're the Topaz version in the journals… We've asked every skip we've met since January if they heard about how things worked out for you. Nothing. Gran's been beside herself, but I don't have to tell you that. _She's a universal Eric fan_."

"Sookie did as you suggested. She kept the secret until the skip that helped us end the infestation. It wasn't until then that I regained my memories."

"Holy shit! You lost 3 months?"

"You… How do you know I lost anything?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh God… If you remember everything, play dumb when My Eric gets here. He's still pissed that he lost one night."

I chuckled, "Fuck him and his one night. In the last week I've only regained a handful of scattered memories."

"The other Erics it happened to had to have something trigger it… My Eric hasn't gotten his yet. Why didn't you get a copy of the journal?"

"We did…"

"But you've been a little busy trying to get your head and Area straight… Gotcha…" She stood and went to the base of the stairs to call up, "Come on out. Everyone here knows about the skips."

"Sookie, where did Erin come from?"

She jogged back over to me and put her mouth to my ear. "From what I'm told, I was Rene Lanier's second victim. The first one after his sister, chronologically anyway since he went after other Sookies, women in general, in different order… My neighbors spooked him away before he could kill me, but he had enough time to rape me. You'll get plenty of details from the journal."

Raped?

Fuck.

Erin approached her mother with her hands on her hips. "Playing a joke?"

Her mother giggled, "No. They're just confused. Daddy tells you how tiny you are all the time… They just didn't notice you were in the bed when they got there."

My Sookie offered, "Honestly. We have a house just like this and we were so wiped out we didn't even notice where we crashed."

The little girl eyed both Sookies carefully before she stomped towards the kitchen. "Ima get a milk… I. Want. **MY**. Daddy."

The Sookies bit their lips and turned away from her identically, amusing and bizarre…

The distraction from their urge to laugh at the tiny Sookie clone came in the form of scratching at the door.

Topaz Sookie rolled her eyes and went to greet the visitor, explaining, "Alcide's got a sense of humor, guys. He never knocks anymore." If my memory served me correctly, Alcide was the Were guarding the Peridot Sookie…

A man on the other side of the door grumbled, "Would you stop that shit? It's demeaning."

Another voice defended himself, "Shut the fuck up, man. They know it's a joke. Don't be one of those assholes who takes himself too seriously. The Lieu jokes around about taking me for walks too. Do. Not. Embarrass. Me." Lovely. _Another version where I had more responsibility than I wanted._

When Topaz Sookie opened the door with Mine standing behind her, Alcide shouted, "AGAIN!" But my Sookie gasped and staggered backwards until she fell… She was so shocked she didn't seem to notice that she'd scraped her back on the stairs.

She was still staring when I reached her to help her up.

I hadn't expected for her to have such a strong reaction to seeing Alcide alive since she hadn't ever known him personally… it made me worry about how she'd react to seeing Adele again.

Both Weres were staring at her as I pulled her to her feet. She was fixated on the shorter one with red hair.

She approached him slowly, lifting her hands to his face… it was as though she was memorizing it.

When My Sookie wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him, Topaz Sookie gave me a questioning look.

I shrugged. "She didn't know him, but Alcide didn't survive the Witches occupation of Area 5."

She looked positively horrified, but she shook her head. "That… that's Chester though." Oh fuck.

I walked up behind Mine, taking her hips to pull her away from him. "Sookie. Don't do this to yourself. It's cruel."

She resisted, refusing to be pulled away from him. She sobbed, "I can't…"

I gave another gentle pull without results. "Sookie, it's not fair to him either." She managed to shake her head while pushing her face into the side of his neck… he was too stunned to do as much as lift his arms.

Alcide huffed, "She obviously had the chance to meet Chester before the Witches got to him… How'd they get me?"

"You and your father were found electrocuted in his garage… She didn't just meet Chester though. They're still friends."

"If he's still alive then…"

"Our version of you was lucky to have died… Chester was severely disfigured and lamed. He's still hospitalized for reconstruction and rehabilitation."

Alcide sucked air past his teeth and grumbled, "Damn…" He looked angry for a moment before he shook his head and patted My Sookie's shoulder. "C'mon blondie. You're gonna get him killed. What do you think his pregnant, territorial girlfriend's gonna do when he goes home smelling like his new boss?"

She sobbed, "_Thank God she's looking into __**BOTH**__ of his fucking eyes when she questions him!_ Give me a damn minute!"

Well… _fair enough_… there wasn't much arguing with that.

While we were still waiting for My Sookie to calm down, staring as though we were watching a train wreck, Pam arrived on foot…

She sped onto the porch to wrap her arms around Alcide from behind and nip the side of his neck. She barely glanced at the rest of us, but she didn't seem interested in an explanation. "They seem busy… While they're distracted, could I interest you in a walk?"

He growled, "_Speaking of trying to get a guy killed_... Could you get off me. You know my girlfriend will throw down."

"She's invited." When she ran her hand over his stomach, he caught it before it passed his belt. He must have known Pam for long enough to know she was planning to grab his cock.

"Sorry. I don't share."

She grunted as she pulled her arms away from him and playfully slapped the back of his head. "Bad dog." I could already imagine My Pam doing the same with Trey.

He was smiling before he turned around, grabbing her ass with both hands and lifting her… it seemed like he was prepared to give her what she wanted and she was smiling triumphantly until we heard the rip.

Alcide was already laughing when he put her down and she spun around trying to see what he'd done… the back pockets of her jeans were dangling by threads. She gasped, "These were DOLCE!"

He slapped her ass and squeezed past Sookie and Chester, chuckling, "You should know by now when you've got pets, you can't keep nice things." Considering the way Pam's jaw was sagging and the balls it required to fuck with her clothing, I might have mourned my own version of Alcide for a moment.

When she realized her mouth was open she snapped, "Wait until I show Gran what you did!"

He winked at me before he turned back to face her. "I bet she knows you started it… The usual bet?"

Pam narrowed her eyes. "You're on."

I asked, "What's the usual bet?"

He smirked as he answered, "If I lose, I drink a True Blood. When she loses, she gargles a beer for 3 minutes."

"I'm not sure which is worse."

"Neither am I. I haven't had to drink one yet… Every time she loses, Gran tells her to dust the True Bloods while she's in the fridge for her beer… _Isn't that right, Pammy-Lah_?"

That was… _fucking perfect_.

Our reality was definitely a smaller place without an Alcide Herveaux to torment Pam.

It was sad to watch Chester leave… Not his exit. The way My Sookie said goodbye to him… she told him to go home and lace all ten of his fingers with Keira's and be happy he was going to get to teach 'Chessie' how to walk.

He almost cried, but no one could find a reason to hold it against him.

After she watched him climb into his truck, she excused herself to use the restroom and ordered us to pretend 'that' didn't happen when she returned.

I followed as everyone else filed into the kitchen where Alcide greeted Erin by mussing her hair and calling her 'Boss'.

Everyone gathered around the table except Sookie who went to the oven to pull out a large pan.

She asked, "So you guys should mark yourselves. Most of us are doing it by now… My Eric wears a necklace with a topaz crystal on it. _Ummmm_… there's several of us from each month. I kind of get a kick out seeing what everyone picks and hearing why they picked it. There's a couple of us with tattoos, but we still wear something specific and easy to spot."

"We discussed the rings August was wearing just last night…"

"Oh? You mean their wedding rings?"

"You know they're married?"

"Yeah… that's weird. How long have you and Sookie been together?"

"I've been staying at her house since I was cursed, but we've only been together since the skip…"

She nodded slowly and breathed, "_Ooooh_, that explains it. They don't say anything about being married unless the skip is already a couple. Less pressure for them. Y'all are already bonded though. That might set a record. So… was she just working for you?"

"We'd never met. Sookie was raised here by Adele… I'm told the divergence from August's path was Hadley's overdose…"

Her eyes widened again. "No Hadley… so Bon Temps hasn't been graced by Compton trying to sniff out the Stackhouses… Everything was the same for you?"

I nodded. "Until the night Sookie didn't visit Fangtasia. I still heard rumors of the Vampire abducted in Dallas. He was sacrificed by the church. I still had a Maenad blow through my Area like a hurricane…. And witches still targeted Shreveport. How did you get ahead of them so Your Eric only lost one night?"

"That was thanks to a skip, thank God. As soon as we met August in November, My Eric dove into that journal. We got Paulette. I was already working at Fangtasia anyway. They came in to scope the place out a couple nights ahead of time and I spotted them. We brought Paulette in on plans… they sent a Witch in with a 'proposal' and Eric flipped his lid and broke her neck. He stood there like he was stoned for a minute, and then ran off. I finally found him walking down the road and he didn't know who I was, but he could feel me. It broke the kids' hearts that he didn't know who they were either… I took him home, cleaned him up, fed him and put him to bed. When he rose the next night, he was fine. Fuzzy, pissed as hell, but fine… The Witches didn't make it 'til dawn."

I nodded. "No Paulette. No Sookie to look for me… The Witches practically decimated the Supernatural population of my Area while I was oblivious."

She looked like she was about to say something when we heard a car in the driveway and Erin sped out of her seat squealing, "_**Daddy!**_" and Sookie went after her.

The other Me entered the kitchen with Erin in one arm and Hunter in the other.

He stopped to stand over me and shake his head. "Where's your Sookie?"

"Using the restroom to recover from seeing Chester. Our version of him was heavily scarred by Hallow."

"Do you have any memory of us?"

I shook my head. "Why would I? My Sookie met with yours."

His eyebrow went up and he snorted, "We should talk before your Sookie is done."

I watched him stoop down to place the children on the floor, but Erin needed to be convinced to let go of him. It wasn't until he promised she could go home tonight that she released him.

I followed him to the front porch and the door was barely closed before he said, "Sookie says you've bonded… that should give you some warning before Your Sookie tries to kill you for lying to her."

"Come again."

"Sookie told me that you haven't read the journal…"

"Not in its entirety. We read the prologue and record of skips done by August. I haven't had my memory back for a week yet. We…"

"You've been courting Sookie, asshole. Don't try to lie to me. I fucking know better."

"I had amnesia from January 1st until I rose on March 25th. What happened in that time, except for a handful of short vignettes, is still a mystery to us."

"Does that handful include meeting me?"

"No. I told you…"

He growled, "Then perhaps I should jog your memory… January 16th. I rose to find Sookie gone as I had several other nights and set out to find her. She rose at her grandmother's house. She investigated the room she rose in to find it seemed she lived there, so she wasn't worried about startling the woman. She took a handful of clothing to the bathroom and walked in on you as you were stepping out of the tub. You, clueless dolt that you were, grabbed MY WIFE and 'glamoured' her to forget you were there. She of course humored you and eavesdropped while you explained to Adele that Sookie surprised you in the bathroom… Once Sookie was dressed, she left the house in a faked hurry to get 'back' to Merlotte's. She explained that she came home to shower because something was spilled on her as she left so you and Adele wouldn't be troubled by the idea of skipping…"

I shook my head. "Nothing. I'm not remembering any of that."

"On her way out, she left three of the pebbles from the driveway on the porch railing. It's our signal to one another that we've left or shouldn't approach it for some reason. When she arrived at Merlotte's she used the employee entrance and went to the restroom and telepathically called Your Sookie to talk to her. That's when it was explained you'd been staying at the old Compton place and visiting with Adele for two weeks. Adele was feeding you with True Blood and you'd been keeping your presence from Your Sookie because neither of you knew how she'd react. Yours confided in Mine she was on the verge of trying to rally her friends to overthrow the Witches… That night, I narrowly escaped Fangtasia. I'd gone there first because it was closer to home. I was recognized and had to fly to a safehouse for another vehicle. When I finally arrived at Merlotte's, I found both Sookies still in the restroom discussing the Witch infestation. Yours was beside herself, sobbing over the fact that she couldn't take care of the problem herself and her friends in the Were community wouldn't be able to help… We left her with instructions to do nothing until there were Vampires who could help… and then I returned to Adele's house."

I shook my head again. He might as well have been telling me about someone else… "Are you sure it was me?"

His eyebrow pitched again. "I left Sookie in the car and snapped a branch just outside the living room to get your attention. Once I explained who you are and how to unfuck yourself, you told me to mind my fucking business because you were happy there."

"I what?"

"I offered to take you back to Shreveport, give you access to your accounts and contact information for the Vampires in your fealty so you could reclaim your Area and you told me to fuck myself. You refused to leave." Two weeks. That fast? I'd only been there two weeks. I hadn't talked to Sookie yet. The only company I had was Adele and Tina and…

"No."

He nodded. "You felt comfortable there. You liked the simplicity as though you'd been craving it… and if your life had been like mine before I had Sookie, I could understand that yen, believe me. If you even consider lying to her, she'll hate you for it…"

"No, no. I won't. I'll tell her. I've told her about everything that comes back to me as it happens. I just don't remember it yet… How long have you had Your Sookie?"

"Together for four years. I gave her my blood when she was attacked and after she delivered Erin… We bonded the night we were visited by August. We took Adele to Paris for Christmas and wed there on the 27th."

"Why did you wait so long to bond?"

"Sophie-Anne didn't have her own Stackhouse. I was concerned Sookie would be too tempting… When we were told about a telepathic man in Dallas, I convinced him to move to New Orleans to work for Sophie-Anne. _Someone_ was so very pleased, she agreed to terminate my contract. I'm done. I've sold Fangtasia to my replacement and I'm training her to take over. Tilda Clease. You should remember her from your time in London." Fucking brilliant.

"If you're practically retired, why did Alcide refer to Pam as the Lieu?"

"We were visited by a King Northman not long ago. The joke isn't old yet."

"You said the Queen doesn't have her own Stackhouse. What happened to Hadley that you have Hunter?"

He groaned, "_That fucking cunt_… Since you only know about August, you aren't aware of versions where Hadley remained Human… Hunter kept his telepathy a secret until he was exposed by August because his mother is jaded against Sookie's ability. He could hear his own mother thinking Sookie is an evil freak. Sookie offered to take him for a week or two to help him… They stayed at my house and the boy was given some coaching for his shields. When he went back, he went back kicking and screaming. Two nights later, that cunt had her husband bring Hunter to me at Fangtasia. With a straight face, Sam Merlotte told me to expect adoption papers because Hadley couldn't 'deal with' him. _We'd turned the boy against her_. Fuck her. Hunter _**Northman**_ couldn't be happier."

"Sam Merlotte?"

He smirked. "Sam Merlotte who hasn't told his wife that he's a collie during full moons? He obsessed over Sookie while she worked for him and as soon as Hadley returned to Bon Temps, she became the new hydrant in town. It's just the allure for him. There's a version of him who was married to Sookie for a few years and still treated her like a trophy. The only thing that can be said for that prick is he feels _**some**_ remorse for abandoning Hunter. He's afraid Hunter will spill his beans. Funny story… Sam went on a 'beer tasting business trip', so Hadley arranged to be sterilized while he was gone… meanwhile, the trip Sam went on was so he could be neutered. It's probably better that way since Hadley, in different versions, has 4 gifted children."

"No surprise. Merlotte's fuckery is predictably juvenile in our version as well… Did you say Northman?"

"As is Hadley's. There's a version where she had two girls much earlier in her timeline and she abandoned them to be raised by Sookie and Eric… As for 'Northman', when Erin was born we used my pre-revelation documents to list me as her father. When I married Sookie, she took my name. Hunter's adopted name is Northman and Erin's changed."

"We just realized last night that August was married. Do you know why?"

"Because 'I' wouldn't marry?"

"I can't think of a reason why I'd put any stock in it."

"What better reason to have Sookie take your name? August married for the 'old fashioned' reason. Family. We met with them again recently. They're planning to expand. Insemination. My Sookie isn't interested though. We have Hunter and Erin. She's had the experience of being pregnant, which she detested. We're quite content with the two we have and I'm not about to argue to have her reset the clock on how long I have to wait to bring her over."

"You're considering it?"

"No. It's decided…"

He was interrupted by the front door opening. My Sookie peeked out and grinned at both of us. "Hey there. Erin's inside pitching a fit over Skip hogging her attention… She's a real Daddy's girl, huh?"

He nodded and began walking towards the door. "Since the night she was born… I'll leave you to have your talk." He said it like he thought he wasn't leaving me any choice.

Sookie sat on the swing and crossed her arms and legs. "What's that about?"

"Something I don't remember… Do you have any idea how annoying it is to have so much missing?"

She pouted, "Sorry. I don't… What was it?"

"This Sookie visited with you at Merlotte's… When Eric found her, they came back here."

She was pissed in an instant. "Gran knew!?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so… He spoke to _**Me**_. He told me who I was and offered to take me back. I refused."

"You knew all that time… you… you could've gone home. You were starving to death…" Not at the time… after only two weeks, I wouldn't have been suffering.

I shrugged. "But happy to be in Bon Temps regardless."

"You could've gone home…"

"I'm more preoccupied with the fact that I could have helped financially…"

She gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth. "Shit! Eric, you did! You… _I thought it was a glitch!_ I… I thought it was some weird accident and I was afraid to get a bill for God knows how much in late fees once the bank finally caught up. I went to the branch to make the mortgage payments and they told me to wait… when the manager came back he handed me the deeds to our house and Jason's. I had the money wired back to the account because I thought whoever did it just messed up the routing number or whatever…" She started to giggle. "You're a high handed ass even with amnesia."

"I thought we established that when I remembered having Adele interrogate you in your sleep."

She nodded. "That too… So why the secret squirrel outside?"

"He thought I might lie about it, or was lying about my memory loss… As it turns out, I omitted that detail for an evening, but I still should have mentioned it, even if it was while we were alone. I was 'too busy courting' you to be interested in the journal. We would have read about your first experience if we'd read it."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "I told you so…"

"August isn't in the habit of explaining their marriage when they aren't visiting with versions who aren't already a couple. This version is married as well."

"Would we know that from the journal too?" No.

"You're going to be a brat about this, aren't you?"

When she started nodding, I made my way over to join her on the swing. I put my mouth to her ear and whispered, "I was a fool to ignore the journals. I should have yielded to your curiosity. Sweet Sookie, how do you find it in your heart to love such an obtuse and high handed ass?"

She snickered against my cheek, doing nothing to help me concentrate on deciphering why we'd skipped. "I have a very high pain-in-the-ass tolerance." _If anyone else called me a pain in the ass…_

"How lucky for me then."

She snickered again, "Eric, would you stop flirting with me and concentrate on the skip?"

"You're the one flirting… out of curiosity, what time were you finally done having your way with me?"

"Jason beat down the door when he decided he wasn't going to eat lunch alone too… 11ish. You were making so much noise, I had to lie and say the TV volume was stuck."

"I couldn't have been the only one being loud."

"You weren't, but if it was just me, I could've said I stubbed my toe or something. Man-noise meant I had to blame the last people to use the room for watching porn… And he soooooo didn't buy it."

"What are you concerned about? Your brother knowing his adult sister was fucking or that he discovers you can keep me 'up' until lunch?"

She huffed, "I kind of got numbed to how shocked he was that I'm not a nun… I'm more worried he'll flap his gums about you being awake during daylight hours."

"Don't be. We should tell him about skipping and the peripheral occurrences."

"I know other Pams know… but… If I'm going to tell anyone on my end about it, I'd rather tell Trey."

"We should tell him as well, but it seems like Alcide is the standard in that arena. Your life is different from the status quo. We should have a tight circle of accessories. It isn't as much for Us as it is for Them."

She shrugged. "Okay. I guess you get to be right once in a while… We should go in and visit with Gran for a little bit before we let them get on with their night."

"I don't enjoy it when you're upset… Try to consider visiting with Adele in a positive perspective. Thanks to the skips, you'll get to see her from time to time."

She giggled, "I'm not upset… it was amazing to see her again… and she was smiling instead of worried…"

"You've already seen her?" I hadn't felt any of the pain she had from seeing Chester again.

"When I went to the bathroom, she saw me walk by her bedroom. She fussed at me for being too thin… She's dying to talk to you."

"What's different, Sookie? August described various reunions…"

"Oh… Gran mentioned them… the ones where she was killed. I don't know. Maybe because My Gran died of natural causes, maybe because there wasn't any way to prevent it... Those other Sookies felt guilty because she let that Compton guy into her life. I'd love to have Our Gran back, but she was getting up there. I knew I wouldn't have her forever… All I can tell you was I just got everything I miss about Our Gran. She smiled and hugged me. The sound of her voice alone was enough to get me through."

"What did she say?"

"She was surprised I didn't get vapors like some Sookies… She basically congratulated me for getting it… some Sookies treat her like preserves…"

"Preserves?"

"Jam, jelly…"

"I know what they are. I was asking how Adele could be treated as such."

She giggled, "Oh. Sorry… The ones that lost her tend to want to figure out how to skip on purpose… like a way to enjoy summer fruit during the winter… they don't realize that eventually, the jar is empty. Some Sookies aren't letting themselves realize they'll have to go without because she isn't going to live forever. Eventually they'll run out of Grans to visit."

"The problem with that metaphor is there's another harvest to look forward to."

She giggled again. "That's what I said… Gran nodded and gave me one of _those smiles_. She said the next harvest is exactly what I should enjoy instead of lamenting about the last one... Go on. Get your taste while we have a jar."

As I walked towards her room, I realized I was as anxious as I could be… as though I was about reunite with my own family.

She didn't disappoint… She had a smile waiting for me when I reached the doorway, patting the bed next to her as my invitation…

"There HE is! The man of the hour! You've had us all worried."

"So I'm told."

"It would've helped if those boneheads mentioned Sookie can feel your mind from a mile away… You might have at least said something to her. How've you been getting along since you got your memory back?"

I nodded. "Well enough… it's a little daunting to have lost 3 months, but I'm not surprised that I didn't want to return to my duties. Just a few nights has taught me I'd do the same in hindsight."

"You love her… Your Sookie?"

I nodded. "I think I do… I've had a few things come back to explain my attachment. Just as much of her as of you. I'd like it all though… I want more memories of Adele. It says something that she made me feel so at home."

"That wasn't all her… we have a theory. When the skips happen, even when the bond isn't working for them, Erics feel drawn to Sookies. The only one that hasn't is the one we call the 'Alpha version'. It's the earliest of the couples. They've been together 7 years now." _Seven fucking years? That lucky bastard._

"How did they meet?"

"Sookie tried a lot of jobs when she was in high school… always had a hard time with her shields. She worked for a storage unit store and lo and behold, a handsome man walked in wanting to rent several storage units to hide Pam's stockpile…" FUCK! I remembered that… I'd been waited on by a humorless asshole who needed a flea dip!

I shook my head. "It was all a matter of scheduling then."

"A pebble is all it takes. It wasn't even Eric who found the listing. Bobby did… As for you, Mr. Northman… What are you up to?"

I huffed, "We skipped all the way from DC…"

"What were you doing there?"

"Since Jason was in jail, Sookie only held a service when you passed. She was determined to take care of your remains with Jason… We plan to scatter your ashes at the Library of Congress."

She smiled, nodded and whispered, "I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be put. How did that Me go?"

"That's very good to hear. You had a heart attack… I found you just after sunset while Sookie was at work. You hadn't been gone long, but it was long enough."

She studied the quilt for a moment before she pulled herself back to the conversation. "Last month… I had one too. Brandon was over though and he called 911 when I collapsed."

"Brandon?"

She laughed, "Oh, jeez-oh-me! You've got to read the journal! I've got another grandbaby… Sookie's got a half brother. He's a telepath too. My son was always popular with the ladies. We're blaming that on the Faerie thing now, but he broke up with Michelle for a while and met a really sweet woman. We found out about him from a skip… He could be in Minden or Shreveport. Brandon Rousseau."

"If he's like Jason, warn me. I'll need to brace myself."

She shook her head. "I wouldn't know… I lost my Jason in the river with Corbett. I've heard different things about different versions. Brandon's a stand up guy… has his head on straight. His little girl is just darlin'."

"Sookie has two brothers, a niece and an UnPack… She's doing better than she thought."

"And you. She has you. That's the important part. What's an UnPack?"

"While I pursued a simple life in Bon Temps, I ignored why I needed to be in Shreveport. The Witches decimated Long Tooth, including the Wolves you have for security. Trey Dawson was off the radar and ended up being the official UnPackMaster for the few survivors."

She nodded knowingly. "Good man, that Trey… He's used his eyes and ears for us a few times… So why do you think you skipped?"

I shrugged. "I doubt anything about our reality syncs to yours. Perhaps Brandon?"

She shook her head. "You'd already know about him if you read the journals… He's only listed as a telepath because having a brother is news best served in person, but Sookie wouldn't have ignored the chance to meet another telepath… He would have said something right away."

"Hunter doesn't exist in our version because Hadley died of an overdose before he would have been conceived."

"Since Sookie seems more together than others I've met, that leaves you. What's troubling you?"

"Could it be him?"

She shook her head. "I doubt it. He's on cloud nine with his retirement. His only worry is my health."

"I've been trying to think of a way to keep Sookie without exposing her ability. I enjoyed being in Bon Temps, the peace of it. I could go back to being Sheriff and Sookie could farm out her gift… August doesn't seem to have any quiet though."

Her eyes widened and she nodded slowly. Even though I didn't remember much, I knew her wheels were spinning. "_You know, part of your problem is Fangtasia…"_

"Not anymore. We burned it down around the Witches."

She clapped her hand together with a girlish smile on her face. "There you go… You were thinking too big, Eric… You don't have Fangtasia to chain you anymore. Buy a little office here in town… have your Vampires call ahead. How often do you really have actual Vampire business to deal with? Buy the Compton dump and demolish it like My Eric did. He's building a house for them to live in."

I nodded. "You don't think anyone would suspect Sookie?"

"Why would they? Given what your Area went through, it would be expected for you to have a less obvious place to do your business… and when the Queen wants you to renew your contract in a few years, tell her the Witch thing left a bad taste in your mouth. Celebrate retirement with four months in Longyearbyen… If something happens in the meantime, turn her. _Nothing can interfere with __**that**_."

"You'd approve of me bringing over your granddaughter?"

"Why wouldn't I want my grandbaby to live happily ever after with the man of her dreams? It's already part of their plans… You might not know it yet, but you and Sookie are soooo good together. If her head is already out of her rump, you've got it made."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "We had our first argument last night…"

"She seems fine now. Is she faking?"

"It's over. It was a mutual misunderstanding. She was more embarrassed than anything."

She leaned forward and whispered, "Then you're already one up on My Eric. Being wrong doesn't stop My Sookie from going on and on and on…"

A Sookie piped from the front of the house, "You know, _I can hear you!_"

Adele scowled towards the door. "SO! It's not like you're gonna do anything to fix that flaw of yours!" She rolled her eyes and shook her head while Alcide and Pam agreed with her. "When you reset, you read that journal. Get in touch with Brandon. Set up a little office. Enjoy a quiet life in Bon Temps until you feel like moving on. Don't overcomplicate it. You've lived long enough that you forgot how to enjoy _**life**_."

"Can I take you with me?"

She gave me an amused look and held up her hand. "No. No one can go that isn't meant to… One Eric was so sweet to try to take an iguana back to Hunter. Long story. The hosting Eric and Sookie got stuck with that ugly thing... You don't need me anyway… You have Sookie and Pam. Now, get down here and give me some love. You've got a life to start."

The way she held her arms up and smiled, I wouldn't have denied her… She might not have been the same woman to care for me, but she was made of the same mettle.

As soon as my arms went around her… I remembered.

Everything.

Every last second…

The time I lost…

_From snapping the neck of the booby trapped Witch and leaving Fangtasia… _

_Running, seemingly on autopilot until I was staring at the little house that inexplicably felt like home…_

_Hearing Adele's heartbeat as I rose from the dirt my first night in Bon Temps…_

_The excited look on her face when she devised ways to help me remember… _

_A new rosemary plant because her mother always said it was good for memories…_

_Pocket translators and history books from the library, checking out obscure books because I'd remember whether I'd read them or not…_

_The way she insisted my name would be Jan Doe because John Doe wasn't befitting someone with 'such obvious Scandinavian heritage'._

_Everything._

_The little things I'd already gotten back to the bigger pictures…_

_I remembered the encounter with the skip, seeing His Sookie waiting for him in the car, noticing their wedding rings… _

_Refusing to leave, having him give me cash so I could help Adele and Sookie and ordering him to settle the mortgages for them before he went back to wherever it was they came from…_

_Hearing him try to drill into my head I was Eric Northman and hating it… _

_But hearing Adele call me Jan once I joined her in the house, made it all go away as though she was waking me from a nightmare…_

_The reason I didn't remember spending any time in Compton's orchard was because there wasn't one… I'd used the cash from the other Me to buy the produce. _

_I sat in the kitchen, peeling apples and pears, shelling pecans, and translating everything from shopping lists to gossip while Adele rolled the dough to make pies I glamoured her friends to buy from her._

_Since I'd heard Sookie telling Adele about the bank's 'mistake', I'd stolen the mail in the house to make half payments on their utilities…_

_Adele wept on me after every day in court until I found her…_

_I'd only just missed her, the chance to heal her… I dialed 9-1-1 and held her hand until police arrived and waited, listening from the upstairs room while Adele was declared dead…_

_I sat in that room and listened to Sookie sob until dawn that night and was painfully close to following suit. _

_Spending a week of my nights on the sofa, haunting myself with the sight of Adele's empty chair…_

_Pacing the kitchen, staring into the spice cabinet, hoping to catch a faint scent of when the kitchen was still alive…_

_The only thing to drag me out of mourning was Sookie's sleepy company…_

_I was withering by then, starving to death, but from the time I rose until the time Sookie fell to sleep, what I craved was the conversations we would have…_

_Remembering how I tried to convince myself to talk to her while she was awake, but thinking back to the warning from the other Me... _

_Sneaking cash into Sookie's laundry to help with the expense of my True 'Yuck'…_

_Waiting for Sookie, lurking to make sure nothing happened to her when she left work and how she'd scan the tree line and offer a smile in my direction…_

_It made me wonder how she knew I was there… remembering the night of my discovery, I wasn't surprised my first question was how she could…_

_I already wanted her by then, but seeing yet another Eric and Sookie together was too much bait…_

_Going home, regaining my memories, leaving Bon Temps meant it would all be over for me... That I'd missed my chance to have her…_

_I watched her pour kerosene into the air ducts at Fangtasia with a vengeful look as she explained the guys in the garage were 'pyros'…_

_I watched her cry most of the way back to the house I didn't want because her friends didn't get to feel any justice…_

_The reason Sookie thought Pam and I were a couple was because the other Sookie explained to take any nastiness she dished out with a grain of salt. She told Sookie we'd been 'together' for centuries. How was My Sookie to know better?_

_I watched the other Sookie write in the palm of my hand and then searched my room for a pen to rewrite it…_

_Glaring at Pam for lying on my bed when Sookie was the one I wanted to rest with…_

_All of it was back in a rush quick enough to make my head ache…_

_Everything…_

_Up to the moment I rose oblivious to who Sookie was and what my time in Bon Temps meant to me._

When I released Adele from the tender hug that turned out to be my 'trigger', she stared back at me with her eyebrows raised. "What was that?"

It wasn't until I heard Sookie giggle behind me that I realized she was there even though her hands were on my shoulders.

"That was Eric getting something back." She ran her hands down my chest and leaned to hug me and whispered, "All of it?"

I put my hands over her arms and nodded. "I think so."

She hummed and kissed the side of my neck. "It would make sense. Gran was who you were attached to first." Attached was an understatement. She was mine. Adele Stackhouse took me in. It didn't matter I was 9 centuries her senior. I didn't know up from down. Her face was the first one I saw when I clawed out of the ground… that woman was my mother no matter how insane of a concept that was.

Adele sputtered, "I'm about as honored to help as I can be, but _don't tell My Eric_. He's still bitter he can't remember one night. We've tried everything." He groaned 'too late' from the living room.

Sookie and I chuckled, "We heard," in unison.

Adele nodded and mumbled, "I bet…" She lifted her arms again and chuckled, "Now, give me one you can take with you… You've got settling down to do."

Sookie waited for me to leave me seat on the bed so she could give Adele a 'hug proper'. "When are you going to stop being stubborn and move in with them? They don't like you being alone. Just go stay with them until their house is finished. You won't be sorry once you see Eric's library."

Adele chuckled, "You did not skip to have a Dr. Phil intervention, Sookie Stackhouse."

"Why not?"

When she pulled away, Adele just stared at her.

"They love you. You won't be in the way."

Adele rolled her eyes. "You don't know everything."

"Neither do you. Wanna use it as a bargaining chip? What do I have to do to get you to be sensible?"

Adele thought about it for a moment before narrowing her eyes and offering, "Let Eric spoil you, grief free."

Sookie gasped, "That's just… You didn't raise me like that!"

"I raised you to not expect it. I didn't mean that you should reject thoughtful gestures."

Sookie pressed her lips together and grunted as though the idea actually caused physical pain. She finally called, "_Hey, Not My Eric!_ I need a notary!"

Adele looked defeated… she hadn't expected Sookie to give in.

Topaz Eric appeared and made his way over to lounge on the vacant side of the bed. "How may I be of service?"

Sookie huffed, "We need a witness to a bargain. It needs to be logged in the journal that there is an inter-version arrangement. In exchange for Your Gran agreeing to move to Shreveport until your house next door is finished, I'm agreeing to let My Eric spoil me."

He eyed Adele and crooned, "_Oh really?_"

Adele sniped, "Eric Northman, don't you dare gloat."

"Who's gloating? I'm not gloating… Maybe a little gloating… Slight, _minor_ gloating…"

She swatted his arm to stop him and flapped her hands towards the door. "You two need to scoot before you trick me into making a deal with the _actual_ devil."

Sookie leaned over to kiss her grandmother's cheek… I couldn't help but do the same…

We'd only just reached the door when Adele called after us. "I love My Eric and Sookie more than anything. You stick together and everything will fix itself. You'll see that when you read the journal… _Y'all take care._"


End file.
